Queen of Metru Nui
by Bluest-of-Jayys
Summary: After aeons, the timing is right and the kingdom will rise again... If darkness doesn't swallow it first. Full summary inside. AU.
1. Prelude: Once was our Kingdom

**Queen of Metru Nui**_  
_**Nerdgirl-hime**_  
_

_ A kingdom in it's prime has been struck down by an unknown evil.  
Six Toa discover an ancient secret, only to die.  
From across the universe to back home again, it'll cost whatever it takes to return to the throne for six youths to fulfill their destinies. After aeons, the timing is right and the kingdom will rise again... If darkness doesn't swallow it first._

**Prelude:**

Nokama sat down hard, shading her eyes from the glaring sunlight of Po-Metru. She leaned back to lie in the sand when she bumped against something. She looked up to see Onewa, smirking playfully.

"Already taking a nap, Nokama? Tsk tsk." He wagged his finger.

"Sorry, Onewa." Nokama said as Onewa helped her up. "It's just the excruciating heat here. I fare better in cooler temperatures." Nokama smiled. "So, what did Vakama need us for?"

"He came over last night and told me that he found something in a cave nearby. He ordered everyone to come over to that cave, and-" Began Onewa.

"-And I got lost on the way and you found me." Nokama finished.

They walked on through the desert. As they neared the cave, they saw four more figures, colorful and clear against the beige of the sands. One of them, the green one, ran over to Nokama and Onewa. Without a word, he grabbed both of them by the wrist and dragged them over to where everyone else was waiting.

"Hey, guys! They're here!" he yelled. Vakama nodded in greeting, Whenua waved with a friendly smile, and Nuju grunted with a small grin.

"So, Vakama, what did you need us for?" asked Onewa.

Vakama pointed to the cave. "I want to show you something in there." He went in and they all followed. Vakama used his power over fire to light up the cave as the Toa Metru followed him through winding tunnels. Eventually, they came to a small chamber. There was an inscription of some sort on the walls.

"Nokama, could you translate these for me?" Vakama asked. Without response, Nokama activated the power of her kanohi and started to translate.

"One of you, record this. These words seem important." She said as Nuju pulled out a tablet. "_Metru Nui was once a kingdom of peace and prosperity. It is the most important island city in this universe. However, the -_this word is smudged out- _tried to destroy the city and succeeded. Metru Nui fell into darkness, but then the Queen was given the throne and she saved Metru Nui with her court. Metru Nui regained it's importance. But then, the _-I'm assuming this is the same being who attacked earlier- _came back and killed the Queen and her court. However, the Queen and her court was said to have been recently reborn into the bodies of six new Toa." _Nokama switched off her mask power._ "_That's it._"_

"Wow..." Nuju said. His cyan-colored eyes were wide behind his kanohi. "A Queen of Metru Nui, I never thought of that!"

_Tyorin..._

Vakama's flame went out.

"What was that?" Matau looked around in the darkness. He couldn't see anything, not even the glowing eyes of the other Toa. "Guys! What happened!" He took a step forward, only to feel something wrap around him. It was slimy and strong, holding onto him with insane strength.

As his last screams were drowned out, nobody saw words of poisoned purple flame form on the walls.

_Those Toa will not have very long to live._

**To Be Continued...**

_

* * *

AN: I diddlied out a little outline of this story when I was in 6th grade and abandoned it. Then I picked it up again in August. It's an epic, yay.  
_


	2. Chapter 1: The Queen of Soccer

**Chapter I: **

Nokama Derrek kicked. The soccer ball went flying and ricocheted off a padded school gymnasium wall before landing in the opposing team's goal as that team's goalie leaped and missed. She had scored the winning point. Nokama brushed her bangs out of her eyes, adjusted her blue pinnie, and looked around the gymnasium. Her classmates were beginning to crowd around her, cheering.

"No-ka-ma! No-ka-ma!" They chanted.

Nokama smiled, and paced away to get a drink of water. She felt the eyes of the opposing team bore through her pinnie and PE uniform into her back.

"Nice shot!" Nokama felt a slap on her back. Angry, she turned around to see her friend Matau Giovanni, wearing the same-color pinnie as she was.

"Thanks." She said, wiping water off of her chin. "You did pretty well too."

"Not as well as you did," Matau replied. "I mean, that kick was so awesome, and... Ow!"

"Get over it, numbskull, Nokama isn't that cool." The opposing team's goalie had walked over to Matau and Nokama and punched Matau in the head. Leaving, he threw his red pinnie at the two.

"Gross." Nokama muttered, kicking the sweaty red fabric across the polished wooden floor. Students were going back to their locker rooms to change. Gym class was over.

Matau Giovanni ran through the hallway. After a lengthy conversation with his friend Nokama, he found himself late and now lost in another wing of the school. A wing that belonged to a different grade, he assumed as he turned around and tried to retrace his way back.

"Matau!"

Matau turned around to see his older cousin, Onewa Lowergh, come up behind him.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Onewa said sharply. "If a teacher catches you, you're gonna be so dead!"

"I know!" Matau retorted. "I got lost!"

"Goodness gracious, you got lost in your own school?" Onewa ran his hand through his dreadlocks. "You're so lame, Matau."

Matau started to say something, then stopped. He could hear somebody coming.

"What's that?" He asked. Whipping around, he saw a man walk across the carpeted hallway. The sun streaming through the windows shone on his long violet hair, and when he glanced upon the cousins, a gleam of malice shone for a split second. He grinned, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Matau brushed his wavy green hair out of his eyes as Onewa rubbed his own pair of peepers. What could that have been?

_Tyorin..._

A somewhat familiar sensation washed over the two, followed by a a feeling of something wrong. Matau dismissed it as a side effect of all that activity he had done in gym. Onewa dismissed the feeling as something he ate taking its toll on him.

Changing the subject, Onewa said,

"Mind if I hang out with you and Nokama after school?"

Tyorin was a happy being.

He had found two members of the Queen's court, conveniently together. Soon, he would be able to locate the other three, and eventually the queen herself. And like last time, he would kill them all. The Kingdom of Metru Nui would never rise again.

He was sure of it.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter 1 is finally up, after much procrastination. ._. Sorry guys. _


	3. Chapter 2: Restricted

_Yet another chapter up! This is the first epic since an old one of mine which I started in 4th grade that I've actually really paid attention to. Yaywhoo. :P_

**Chapter II - Restricted**

Fifteen year-old Nuju Traversi walked through a labyrinth of tall bookcases at the oldest library in the district, and maybe even the whole city. Running his fingertips over the leather spines of a set of ancient books, he breathed out a sigh of sadness. He loved this place, and was to move away in a matter of weeks. Already his parents were almost finished packing, and his little sister never stops crying because she thinks she will never see her friends again.

To escape it all, Nuju had come to the library like he always did. It was within walking distance from his current residence, and had more books, periodicals, music, and movies than he could count.

Nuju wandered down the row absentmindedly, pausing occasionally to flip through a book or two. Sunlight illuminated dust that swirled in the air, mixing with the musty scent of old books and the sounds of muffled footsteps and pages turning.

He tripped over a pile of unsorted books on the library floor. Stumbling forward, he landed face-first at the end of the aisle. Probing the plush carpet, he found his glasses and stood up. Nuju found himself in a darkened corner he had never seen before. In front of him was a door. He got up, opened it, and gasped. In front of him was a whole wing of the library he had never seen before. It had no electric lights; The room's only illumination came from sunlight streaming through thin, faded, curtains. Dust was everywhere, caking the furniture and floating in the air. Nuju coughed, his silver hair rustling with the movement. He stepped further into the room and let go of the door, failing to notice the sign on it: "Restricted"

Nuju grinned. He could spend hours in here! Grabbing a nearby ladder, he picked a random aisle, and pulled books off of the shelves to read. As he pulled out a book on astronomy, another one fell to the floor, causing a loud thud. Nuju clambered down to pick up the fallen book, and noticed the title.

"'History of Metru Nui: Unabridged Edition'..." He murmured the title out loud. "Metru Nui? What is Metru Nui?"

Now, normally, Nuju wasn't interested in the history of ANYTHING, but this "Metru Nui" thing became interesting once he started flipping through a few pages.

"Who are you?"

Nuju whipped around and screamed.

"Calm down!" A teenage boy who looked around Nuju's age stepped into view. "Again I ask you, who the heck are you?"

"I'm Nuju Traversi!" Nuju gasped. "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm Whenua Wingley." The boy replied. "I didn't know anyone else came to this section in the library."

"I never knew it existed until today." Nuju said. "I'm moving away soon, and this library's like... Well... My second home." Nuju picked up the books he had found.

"Ah, I've known about this place for quite a while." Whenua replied. "I come to read here often."

Nuju looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Whenua chuckled.

"I know it looks like I don't read a lot, I look more like a person who would listen to metal and carry knives around." Whenua smiled, ran his hand up his spiked blonde hair and fingered one of the small gold hoops in his earlobes. "But never judge a book by it's cover. We are in a library, after all." He snickered at his own pun. Changing the subject, he added, "What do you have there?"

Nuju held up the books he had picked. "Mainly some astronomy, some philosophy, and some math."

Whenua placed his hand on a book Nuju had clamped under his arm. "'History of Metru Nui: Unabridged Edition'?" He asked. "What is this?"

"I really don't know, I'm planning to read it myself." Nuju replied.

"Well, can I read it with you?"

"Sure."

The two sat down at a dust-covered table in a reading area near a bay window and began to read. Their eyes widened.

"I can't believe this!" Nuju cried.

***

The bell rang. Onewa raced down the locker-lined hallway to his personal locker, threw his stuff into his bag, and dashed off to find Nokama and Matau, slamming the locker shut with a loud clang.

"Excuse me! Sorry!" He yelled as he pushed through students. "Matau!" He spotted his cousin near the front door of the school. "I'm here. Where's Nokama?"

"Over here." Nokama said as she waded through a sea of people. "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking we could go to the mall or something." Onewa said.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay."

"Then let's go."

The three of them exited the school, and walked away.

***

Whenua and Nuju were deeply immersed in the book they were reading together. It was shocking and too insane to be true. More than once, Nuju had thought it was some crazy fiction book, then he would see something that proved him wrong. Right now, it was a chapter mentioning his town, to every little historic detail. Nuju peeked back to the publication date for the third time, it was published about sixty years ago. Sighing, he flipped back and rejoined Whenua on the page they were on.

A small creak and footsteps broke the silence. Nuju and Whenua looked up.

"Oh darn..." Whenua whispered. "They're here."

"Who?"

Whenua clamped a hand over Nuju's mouth. "The librarian. Stay still and quiet." He slid under the table and hid behind a chair, Nuju in tow.

Seconds that felt like hours ticked by, and the sounds of the small footsteps got smaller and ended in a creak...

...And the small click of keys turning in a lock.

"Oh, DARN!" Whenua growled. "What time is it?" He rolled up the sleeve of his sweatshirt and checked his wristwatch. "It's six-o'-clock!"

Nuju knew the library schedule all too well.

"We're locked in!" He exclaimed. "Do you have a phone?"

"Yeah, but it's out of batteries."

"Is there a working phone in here?"

"No!" Whenua nervously clasped his hands. He had no notion of staying in the... Restricted section of the library.

"Looks like we'll have to stay here overnight." Nuju said calmly. "Geez... My family is going to kill me." He sat back down and picked up "History of Metru Nui: Unabridged Edition".

"Might as well finish this book." He said.

***

Nokama, Matau, and Onewa were in the crowded food court at the local mall, sipping sodas and eating fast food. They chatted away, having a good time.

"...And then Nokama unleashes this super awesome kick, and scores the winning goal!" Matau gushed. "Then the goalie, like, falls on the floor and gets super ticked off at her, how stupid!"

Onewa laughed.

"It's his own fault that he missed." Nokama chimed in, smiling.

"Gosh, stuff like that didn't happen when I was a freshman." Onewa said. "Nobody was as good at gym soccer as Nokama, though." He took another sip of his soda. "Anything else going on?"

"...Naw, not really." Nokama said. She bent down to bring a french fry dripping with molten cheese to her mouth, and from over her hunched figure, Matau could see the man he and Onewa had seen earlier in school.

_ Tyorin... _

_ Queen of Metru Nui... Cease..._

"Let's go." Matau abruptly got up from his seat and started gathering his belongings.

"Dude, look how crowded this place is." Nokama replied. "It took us ages to find a seat here, and now you want to give it up?"

"I... I don't feel safe." Matau said.

Onewa felt a chill run through him. He nodded in agreement. "Let's leave."

"Fine," Nokama pouted. "Help me throw some of this stuff out."

Tyorin watched the trio as they walked past the trash can and dumped their refuse in it. He got up and smiled. The Queen was within his grasp. Making sure he was far enough behind them to not be seen, he followed.

***

"Vakama!"

Screams.

Then intense pain throughout his body.

Then darkness.

**To Be Continued**


	4. Chapter 3: NearDeath Experience

**Chapter III - Near-Death Experience**

Vakama Ingrid opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was... Himself, lying unconscious, bleeding on a street as people bent over him, fussing in a brouhaha. He couldn't feel anything, and when he looked at his hands, they were transparent.

So what had happened?

Everything came back to him all at once. The car, the groceries. He had been on an errand and on the way back home, he was hit by a car.

Vakama saw something stir out of the corner of his eye. It was light, both welcoming and menacing at the same time. He turned to run, but couldn't, for spectral beings have no feet to run with.

As he was sucked up into the light, his consciousness went awry and he blacked out.

"Is he still following us?" Nokama whispered.

Matau and Onewa nodded.

The three of them walked briskly down the crowded street, occasionally looking over their shoulders to see if the mysterious man was still following them. The answer was always yes, as it had been since they had left the food court of the mall.

"Let's just run!" Hissed Nokama. She broke into a run, Matau and Onewa following her with cries of "Stop, Nokama!"

"I can't!" Nokama yelled back. "I can't... Stop... Running!"

It's true. She looked tired and about to collapse, but kept on shooting forward...

Then disappeared with a surprised wail.

Onewa and Matau stopped. What happened? Confused, they dashed to the place Nokama had last been seen.

"Nokama!" Matau cried. "Where are you?"

No reply.

"She's gone..."

"Where am I...?" Vakama sat up and looked around. He was inside a ornate chamber on a comfortable sleeping pallet. On the walls were disk-like objects of all kinds, strange tools, and several oddly-shaped masks. Tablets were stacked in places near a desk, and on the stone floor were several soft mats. Vakama stood up. The first thing he noticed was that he felt... Taller. And heavier. Catching his reflection in a large piece of smoothened crystal, he screamed. Besides being taller, he was some sort of biomechanical being clad in red armor, wearing an odd mask like the ones hung on the chamber's walls.

"I see you're up, firespitter." Another tall figure was leaning in the doorway to the chamber. Vakama looked at him. He was a biomechanical being as well, with green armor and a mask, which was shaped differently than his. He also wore an emerald mantle on his shoulders. "Queen Nokama is lonely, she wants to play a game with her court."

"Who are you?" Vakama asked. "And who's Queen Nokama?"

"Did you fall off a cliff or something?" The green-armored being asked. "I'm Matau, and Nokama is the Queen of Metru Nui."

"Metru Nui?"

"Vakama, I really don't feel like explaining, just grab your mantle and lets go." Matau handed him a crimson cloth, which Vakama put over his shoulders, and dragged him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Vakama asked.

"Throne room." Matau replied. He waved to another being and beckoned for that being to come.

"Hello, Matau." The being said. He wore pure white armor, a mask, and a silver mantle.

"Nuju!" Matau cheered. "The Queen wants us, she's lonely and wants to play a game."

Nuju sighed. "She can be such a frivolous queen at times... I really don't want to play, can you explain my absence to her?"

"No way!" Matau grabbed Nuju by the wrist and pulled him along in his rush to get to this "Queen Nokama".

After several minutes of walking through halls, Vakama, Matau, and Nuju ended up in an elaborately decorated room whose main feature was a silver throne, decorated with sapphires. Behind the throne was a coat of arms, featuring six different-colored gemstones. And on that throne sat yet another biomechanical being in blue armor, wearing a beautiful azure cape and a silver crown. Vakama assumed that this being was Queen Nokama.

Queen Nokama smiled.

"Excellent, you three are here." She said. "Now we just have to wait for Onewa and Whenua..."

"...Who are here!" Two more biomechanical beings entered the room, one in brown and the other in black. Nokama stood up and clapped her hands cheerfully.

"Everyone's here!" She cheered. "Okay, now let's play a game... How about hide-and-seek? I'll hide, and the first one to find me wins!"

Everyone nodded.

"Great!" She cheered. "I'll go hide." She dashed off, her cape flowing behind her. Stopping at one of the doorways to the throne room, she turned around and smiled. "Count to thirty, and no peeking!"

Everyone covered their eyes and started to count. Vakama tapped on Matau's shoulder.

"What is everyone doing?" He asked.

"We're playing hide-and-seek with the Queen." Matau replied, as if a queen who loved childish games was the norm. Vakama smacked his forehead, which caused Matau to look at him with a strange expression.

"What's wrong with you, Vakama? You're usually have much more devotion to the queen than this." Matau said angrily. "You're not yourself. Are you sure you're Vakama, and not some impostor?"

"No! I don't know what you're talking about! I..."

Vakama didn't finish his sentence, at least not in the throne room.

"I... Huh... What?" Vakama found himself in a cave, leading five others down a tunnel. Out of his outstretched palm shot a jet of flame, lighting up the way. Looking back, he say that the five were Nokama, Matau, Nuju, Whenua, and Onewa, but without their ornate capes. "Matau, where are we?"

"Mata Nui, you are being stupid-dumb." Matau sighed. "You're the one who call-summoned us here. Did you have another of your dream-visions again?"

Vakama didn't want to rock the boat any further, so he simply nodded.

"Okay, you call-summoned us to a cave-hole and you want to show us a bunch of strange-weird carvings." Matau rested his elbow on Vakama's shoulder casually. "So lead on, firespitter."

The group walked down the tunnel until it ended in a cavern covered with carvings written in a strange and vaguely familiar dialect.

"Nokama, can you translate these for me?" Vakama said. Realizing he had spoken, his eyes widened. He hadn't meant to speak.

Nokama didn't reply as the mask on her face glowed and she began to read.

"One of you, record this. These words seem important." She said as Nuju pulled out a tablet. "_Metru Nui was once a kingdom of peace and prosperity. It is the most important island city in this universe. However, the_ -- this word is smudged out -- _tried to destroy the city and succeeded. Metru Nui fell into darkness, but then the Queen was given the throne and she saved Metru Nui with her court. Metru Nui regained it's importance. But then, the_ -- I'm assuming this is the same being who attacked earlier -- _came back and killed the Queen and her court. However, the Queen and her court was said to have been recently reborn into the bodies of six new Toa_." Nokama switched off her mask power. "That's it."

"Wow..." Nuju said. His cyan eyes were wide behind his mask. "A Queen of Metru Nui, I've never thought of that!"

_Tyorin..._

Vakama's flame went out. Now, he couldn't see or hear anything, he could only feel a slimy tendril coil itself around him and he blacked out.

He woke again in a brilliantly lit room, again as his red-and-blonde-haired, green-eyed, and most importantly, human, self.

"What happened!" He yelled as he turned around, surveying the room. It was bare.

"You have died!" A booming voice announced.

"That's very good to know, but really, what happened?"

"You have been shown the answers!"

"The answers? I don't even know the damn question!" Vakama roared. "Where was I? Who was I?"

All the light in the room was concentrated into a small area, taking on the form of a humanoid being.

"I understand." The being said. "You are part of the Kingdom of Metru Nui, struck down by Gorgon Makuta Tyorin."

"I don't understand!" Vakama replied.

"All in due time." The being stated calmly. "But, you are not meant to die, not now. Metru Nui needs you, Vakama. Find the people you have met in your dreams. Nokama, Matau, Nuju, Whenua, and Onewa. You must understand the importance of this situation. You will leave me now." The light being touched Vakama on the forehead, and fell unconscious.

Matau and Onewa sat on Matau's bed in despair. The relieving moonlight that spilled through the window did nothing to help, it only gave them the notion that their friend was in grave danger. Matau was in the worst condition of the two, he couldn't form a coherent sentence without breaking into a series of watery hiccups and his face was sticky with dried tears.

"Onewa..."

"Matau..." Onewa put a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "We did all we could. We ran around searching for her and told her parents."

"That's not all we could have done!" Matau wailed.

"Then what else could we have done?"

Matau was silent for a long time.

Nokama kicked at her captor again, a solid blow that should have landed on their shins but didn't. She shrieked in frustration. This kept happening.

Her arms were bound to her sides, and her eyes were covered with a blindfold.

"Sleep..." Nokama's captor whispered. Nokama felt herself go drowsy and eventually fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 4: Senility with a PhD

**Chapter IV - Senility with a Ph. D**

Nuju rubbed his eyes. He was beginning to go drowsy. Yawning, he curled up on one of the plush velvet chairs in the darkened library.

"Whenua, go to sleep," He said. "or at least turn that light off."

"You can go to sleep. I'm going to keep reading." Whenua replied as he felt his eyes beginning to grow tired. Nuju peeked over his shoulder at his companion.

"You are getting bags under your eyes." He stated, turning away. Whenua nodded and decided it was a good time for him to sleep too, but he didn't want to leave "History of Metru Nui: Unabridged Edition" behind the next morning. Grinning, he marked the book with a scrap of paper he found lying around and slid the book under his sweatshirt.

Nuju and Whenua were about to slip into sleep when a series of loud crashes broke through the silent library, startling the two to full awareness.

"Whenua Wingley! Nuju Traversi!" Voices shouted.

"It must be the police coming to get us." Nuju said. "Over here!" He yelled.

"We are in the restricted section! The restricted section!" Added Whenua. Nuju looked at him in surprise. The restricted section? And why did Whenua have his arms clutched around his stomach like that?

A loud crash showed that the police had broken down the door. They filed in in search for the two boys who gave their positions away with shouts.

"What have you two been doing?" One of the policemen asked sternly. "You realize your parents have been looking for you."

"We were reading." Whenua replied. "And lost track of time."

The policeman didn't listen. Instead, he took out his radio and signaled the rest of the squad.

"Bentley to Peters, we found the boys." He said, dragging Nuju and Whenua out of the library. Whenua still had his arms clutched around his stomach.

The police took the duo to the station, where they sat in waiting for their parents.

"Hey." Nuju said. "What's your email address?" He pulled a pen out of his pocket. "Write it on my hand."

"Sure." He said, taking the pen and Nuju's outstretched hand. When he was finished, he placed his hand in Nuju's and said, "Now write yours." Nuju did. "I'll email you tomorrow." He said as four adults and a child burst into the room.

"Nuju!"

"Whenua!"

"Mom! Dad!"

"Mommers! Dadders!" The two rushed to their families, who embraced them and went home.

"Hey mom, where's Miranda?" Nuju asked on his way out. Nuju's mother bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Your sister... Miranda... She's been..."

Meanwhile, Vakama opened his eyes. All he could see through his blurry eyes was a bright light.

_ Goodness gracious, I'm dead._ He thought. Then his eyes focused and he found himself in a sterile white hospital room.

"The boy in the coma just woke up!" Somebody shouted. Vakama groaned as nurses and doctors moved in to surround him. His head pounded slightly, but he felt well, too well for being hit by a car.

"What happened?" Vakama asked.

"You were hit by a car." A doctor said. "You have been in a coma for almost a day."

"Um... Okay, what time is it?"

"Around three AM. One of your lungs has been punctured in three places and your left leg had been smashed." The doctor continued. "We thought you weren't going to make it. But somehow, the damage reverted itself and you are here, alive." He brought out x-rays of Vakama's injuries. They were so grotesque, Vakama flinched.

"You are a miracle." The doctor finished. "We must have your permission to study you and your rapid regeneration."

"Um... No thank you." Vakama really didn't relish the idea of having people he didn't know run crazy tests on him.

"We must!" The doctor begged. "You could help the whole human race!"

"Stop bugging the guy." A third voice chimed in. Vakama and the doctor turned to look at the newcomer. "You," He said, pointing at the doctor. "Cut it out. He's entitled to his own privacy, and if he doesn't want to be tested, then he doesn't. So stop badgering him. And you," He pointed at Vakama. "Be more clear about what you want and don't want. Or else people will manipulate you." He turned back to a different hospital bed. Vakama stared after him.

Nuju was not happy. After being locked in the library for most of the night, he heard that his sister got into an accident with his tennis equipment and now suffered several concussions thanks to a ball launcher. Then he sees some psycho doctor hassling another kid and his own sense of justice kicks in. This has got to be one of the worst days ever.

Nuju picked up a long lock of curly black hair off of his sister's forehead and held it against his own silver tresses. His whole family had raven hair, and it was a mystery why Nuju's hair was so different, not to mention being a gleaming gray. Everyone had chalked it up to him having "weaker pigments" or something like that.

"Hey."

Nuju broke out of his musings and looked to the source of the voice. It was the boy in the other bed who had been antagonized by the doctor.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"What's your name?"

"Nuju. Nuju Traversi."

Vakama's eyes widened. That was one of the names the light being had mentioned.

"I'm... I'm Vakama... Ingrid..." He replied. Nuju smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Vakama."

"Nuju, let's go." An ebon-haired lady took Nuju's hand and led him out of the room.

"I hope to see you later!" Vakama called after him.

Nokama had no clue what time it was when she woke up, or even where she was. All she knew of her surroundings was a lavish room, heavily furnished. Instead of the khakis and "Happy Face" T-shirt she had been wearing, she was adorned in a beautiful azure gown.

"Like it?"

Nokama turned around at the voice. A violet-haired man wearing a beaked, black, half-mask stood there.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Where am I?"

"I cannot tell you who I am." He smiled, a hint of poison in the grin. "And as to where you are, you are... In my captivity, let's put it that way."

Nokama yelled a curse word as the man faded away. She turned around and sat on the plush bed in rage. Sure, this room was nice, but it was unfamiliar and she missed Matau and Onewa.

_I hope they got home safely... _She hoped. Clenching her teeth, she fisted the hem of her dress and tore it at the knees. Plans of escape formed in her mind as she studied the room. It was windowless, and there was a thick metal door. She tried to open it, and it gave way. Peeking out into the hall, she saw a staff block her way. It was being held by a strange-looking, lizard-like guard. It turned its face toward her. It was reptilian and when it spoke, the guard's face opened up and and a leech-like organism hissed at her. Nokama backed into her room and closed the door.

_ Ok, the obvious way is out..._ She thought. Sitting back on her bed, she knocked on the side with her heels, possible escape plans running through her head. Her eye caught a vent on the floor in the corner of the room, partially concealed by an armchair. It looked big enough for someone her size to slide through.

Lifting the cover, Nokama lowered herself into the vent. It was a tight squeeze, but she made it though. The vent went straight down until the angle gradually declined into a gentle slope Nokama could crawl through, and then went horizontal. Nokama could see through other vent covers she passed, which opened into a vast array of rooms: Laboratories, private chambers, recreational rooms, and a strange room, empty save for a large pool of a strange, silvery liquid in the center. Curious, Nokama knocked away the vent cover and crawled out into the room.

She walked to the silver pool and touched the shining surface, only to feel her hand burn as if she had dipped it in acid. She let out a cry and wiped her fingers on her tattered skirt, then immediately regretted her yelp. Nokama hardly had time to turn around when a solid blow connected with her head, knocking her out.

**Continued...**


	6. Chapter 5: Queen of Metru Nui

**Chapter V - Queen of Metru Nui**

Nokama woke up. She felt excellent! Her headache was gone, and her ankle had healed gracefully, thanks to the court doctors.

...Her ankle? Since when had that been hurting?

_It has..._ Thought Nokama. She could remember the pain as clear as day. Yet Nokama had no recollection of injuring her ankle in any way since a rainy soccer game in the fourth grade.

Opening her eyes, Nokama saw that it was dark. Feeling around for a switch of some sort, her hands knocked over a strange crystal, which lit the whole room with a cooling blue glow. Nokama jumped with a yelp. She could now see her own body. It was armored, partly mechanical, and colored in shades of blue. Her long, azure hair was gone and she now wore a full-face mask, which contorted to match her facial expressions.

"What am I?" She exclaimed. She brushed her fingers against her shin, and could feel the warm, metallic, substance spreading heat through her fingertips.

_I'm a robot... But robots can't feel, can they?_

"Are you all right, my queen?"

Nokama turned at the new voice. Somebody stood at the entrance to the chamber, who looked similar to herself. A silver mantle rested on his broad, snowy, shoulders and his mask, asymmetrical with a telescopic lens on the left, wore an expression of stoic concern.

"Queen?" Nokama asked. "I'm no queen."

"You are being crazy again, your majesty." The newcomer sighed. "I've been sent to wake you. The others are worried." He rested his fingers against his forehead. "Especially Matau, that dolt."

"The others? Matau?" Nokama questioned, recognizing the name of her best friend.

"Matau is one of the knights." The stranger answered. "Part of your court." He turned to leave. "By the way, has your ankle healed?"

"Yeah."

"Good to hear, your majesty." The stranger left the room, leaving Nokama sitting on the bed.

_He didn't even tell me his name._Nokama pouted. She was alone now, and with a sigh decided to take the opportunity to finally study the room. When she looked up, her eyes widened with a gasp.

It was extravagant. The walls were of stone, tinted a cooling turquoise, were embedded with numerous crystal lamps that pulsed a calm aquamarine. Primitive-looking silver furniture inlaid with sapphires finished the room. Nokama picked up a gem-encrusted hand mirror and looked at herself. As strange as her appearance was, she actually didn't look too bad...

"Your majesty!" Another being, like herself and the one who had appeared earlier, but of shades of green, erupted into the room. "You've been asleep all morning then I heard you scream!"

"Matau?" Nokama recognized the being's voice.

"Yes?"

"Matau! It's you!" Nokama grabbed his hand and grinned.

"Of course it's me, queen." Matau replied with a calm smile. He shook off Nokama's grip and looked her in the eye. "Are you all right?"

Nokama bit her lip and averted her gaze. She wanted to tell her best friend that nothing was all right, that she had no clue what, where, or who she was, and she wanted to get home as soon as possible, even if it was back to that cesspool the mysterious man had been keeping her in.

"I'm fine." She replied, forcing her lips into a fake grin. Matau smiled back.

"Great." He said. A long, awkward silence ensued. Neither Nokama nor Matau had anything to say.

A small part of Nokama screamed for her to ask Matau what the heck was going on. Her mouth opened to form the words, and out of her lips tumbled a stuttering "Wa... wa..." But the confused image of her friend's face flashed through her head and she found that she really did not want to deal with any confusion or disbelief that wasn't her own.

"Wha... Wa... Want to play hide-and-seek?" She shouted. Clapping her hands over her mouth, she blushed. Matau grinned.

"Sure!" He said. "I'll get everyone else." Matau dashed out of the room. "I'll meet you in the High Throne Chamber, my queen." He grinned.

Nokama was alone now. She walked out of the room and peered down the hallway at the disappearing form of Matau.

Footsteps.

Nokama ran back into the room.

"Ma'am," Yet another being, like herself and Matau and that other one, came in. His armor was as black as a starless night and his voice rumbled like a landslide. "What are you doing so late in the day without your crown and cape?" He strode into the room and opened a vast wardrobe.

"What do you mean, uh..."

"Whenua. I'm Whenua." The newcomer replied. After rummaging slightly, he pulled out a deep blue cape, trimmed with silver. "This'll have to do." Whenua draped the cape around Nokama's shoulders and did the fastenings. Then her returned to the wardrobe, and out of a bottom drawer, lifted a blue-and-silver pillow, and sitting on that pillow was a gleaming chrome crown embedded with sapphires.

"I beg her highness to don her crown." Whenua stated, dropping down on one knee and holding out the pillow. Nokama lifted the crown and placed it upon her head.

"Now, I will escort you to the throne room." Whenua held out his elbow, beckoning for Nokama to place a slim hand upon it. The two of them walked to the throne room, where several others stood. The milky white one from before, Matau, and two others with armor colored brown and red, respectively.

As they approached it, Nokama's eyes widened. It was magnificent! She stepped with wonder into the silvery room...

...And blacked out.

Nuju sat by Vakama's side as Vakama spoke. His arms had finally been removed from their casts (the doctors insisted that he remain bandaged for the time being) and after the fiasco with the crazy doctor, the two were becoming fast friends.

On this night, Vakama had finally gathered up the courage to speak of his dream to such a logical one as Nuju.

"...Then I talked to some sort of strange, ethereal being," Vakama said. "He told me to find these people: Nokama, Whenua, Matau, Onewa, and Nuju. When I heard your name was Nuju..." Vakama paused. "I knew you had to be one of the people I was looking for?"

"How exactly did you know?" Nuju looked at him over the rims of his glasses.

"How many people do you see walking around named Nuju?" Vakama retorted calmly. Nuju smiled.

"I know someone else you're looking for." He added. "I recently met someone named Whenua. I'll bring him in sometime."

"That's great." Vakama breathed. "I feel like finding these people is the most important thing in my life right now, but it will destroy our lives as we know it..." He said grimly. Nuju rested a hand on Vakama's shoulder.

"You know I hardly believe you," He said. "It's hard to believe something so maverick in a logic-bound world such as this. If I didn't go to the library a few days ago, I would have yelled that your visions were stupid and stormed out of the room." Nuju leaned back in the ugly green chair he sat in, a rare splash of color against the whitewashed walls of the hospital. Through the window outside, he could see the urban landscape against the night, with its flashing lights and loud noises. When he spoke again, it was in a hushed tone, almost confidential.

"Promise not to tell anyone." Nuju's cyan eyes bore though his smoky lashes into Vakama's own green ones. "They'll think you a lunatic.

"This city stands upon the ruins of an old, urban, island paradise with technology that dwarfs ours." He said.

"Like Atlantis?'

"Yeah. But different. Because, the city is still there. Not resting under the waves, like Atlantis. It was a magnificent city, and it was ruled by a benevolent queen and her court. But, someone evil wanted to strike the queen down. He has succeeded twice, but through the will of a supreme being, the queen and her court have managed to find each other again."

"How do you know this?" Vakama questioned. Nuju grinned sheepishly.

"I was in the restricted section of the library just before I met you. There was a book on the history of a place called Metru Nui. What I remember from it ties into your own vision." He said as a nurse walked into the room.

"Visiting hours are almost up," she said. "You had better get home soon, kid."

Nuju looked at the clock. "You're right!" He exclaimed, bolting up from his seat. "I'll see you later, Vakama. 'Night." He dashed out of the room as the nurse called for him to not run in the hospital. Vakama grabbed the remote that controlled the ceiling-mounted TV in his section of the room. It was almost seven-thirty, his favorite show was on.

Whenua kicked his shoes off and laughed as they ricocheted against the walls. "Hey Mom, gonna use the computer for a bit, mmkay?" He called.

"Sure, just make sure you finish your homework for once." His mom called back, a glint of mischievousness in her voice. Whenua chuckled.

"Don't worry, mommers. I finished it at school. That's why I'm so late." He said as he dropped his swimming bag by the doorway. Running to his room, He plopped himself down at his desk, opened his laptop, and turned it on. He opened up his internet browser and checked his email.

"Hey, new one from Nuju." He murmured.

_Hi Whenua, it's Nuju._ The email began.

"I know that," Whenua mumbled.

_I've got a request to make, can you come with me to visit my friend Vakama in the hospital? He'd be very interested to meet you. It involves Metru Nui. Can I pick you up tomorrow at four?_

Whenua hit reply and typed his message.

_Sure, I don't think I have anything scheduled at that time. Let's meet at the library and take a bus or something. See you there. -Whenua_

Whenua leaned back in his chair. Through half-closed eyes, he saw the book he had taken from the library peeking out from under a pile of dirty laundry. He picked up the book and shoved it in his backpack for tomorrow. This was going to be interesting.

_AN: Whoops, I put in Ch5 there too. I separated it. :)_


	7. Chapter 6: Tyorin

_AN: OHOHOHOH Two in one day! An accident because I posted it in Ch.5. o3o Okay enjoy._

**Chapter VI - Tyorin**

Nokama's eyes fluttered open. How long had it been since her capture, one day? Two? She was still in this pesthole, and even the dream she had was a sweet escape from what she faced right now.

Tyorin was the one who had struck her into oblivion, and he now had her locked in a different room, this time sparsely furnished. He used his reptilian servants, which Nokama found were called "Rahkshi", to send food in three times a day. Her sleeping pallet was decent, and there was only a faded rug and wobbly table to keep her company in the dismal, gray room.

_I think I had a soccer game today..._ Nokama thought, fingering the tangles in her blue hair. She looked at her uneaten breakfast, still steaming. She just didn't feel hungry.

"Can I come in?"

Nokama jumped. She wasn't expecting any visitors.

_Like I'd have any,_ she thought bitterly.

"Sure..." Nokama replied. "Good luck getting in, though. The place is locked." She sat back down on her bed and crossed her arms. The lock clicked, Nokama braced herself.

The door swung open and the purple-haired man stood there, again in his beaked mask. He sat down on the bed next to Nokama and handed her a brush.

"Your hair is very messy." He said nonchalantly. "I hate it when girls don't take care of their appearances."

Nokama's eyes flared. "_You're_ the one who's keeping me in such a place. I can't take a shower, I miss my friends and family, and I can't even brush my teeth!" She snatched the brush from the masked man and turned away, undoing her ponytail. The tangled, wavy, locks fell down her back. "Why did you come here, anyway?"

"I have a little... Story to tell you."

"Oh, really?"

"My name is Tyorin. The Butterfly Makuta." The masked man delicately lifted off the beaked mask. His eyes glowed a fierce red. "I have existed long before the Kingdom of Metru Nui."

"Slow down." Nokama said. "What are you talking about? What's a Makuta? What is Metru Nui?"

"All in due time," Tyorin replied lightly. "I wanted control of the Kingdom of Metru Nui, but one... No, six, individuals stood in my way." He stood up suddenly and pointed at Nokama. "You." He hissed, all traces of whatever sweetness he possessed gone. "The Queen. You and your court stopped my advances, sacrificing yourselves and your kingdom just before I could gain control of it. The first time, you killed the whole kingdom."

"I... What?" Nokama gaped.

"The second time was my own mistake." Tyorin lowered his arm and sat back down. "I killed you all before you could reinstate the kingdom. But the third time, it will work out. You are to realize your true potential and gather your court. Already, I know the names and locations of three others."

"Who?"

"Your friend and his cousin." Said Tyorin. "And that poor little twit in the hospital."

"Matau and Onewa..." Nokama bit her lip. If she was incarcerated and they were being tracked, the three of them were going to be so very screwed. And heaven save that poor guy in the hospital, whoever he was.

"Vakama. His name is Vakama. Ingrid." Tyorin said, picking up a lock of Nokama's bright blue hair. "Hit by a car."

"I see." Nokama said solemnly. "Why are you telling me all this? I am not royalty. I'm just a random schoolgirl."

"You are not." Tyorin flicked the hair past Nokama's face. "Tell me, what did you see when you touched the Energized Protodermis?"

Nokama immediately remembered the acidic silver substance in the empty room. "I saw... I was... A robot. Who could feel pain and emotions. That's not possible, is it?"

"That's because you weren't a robot. You were a Toa, a Biomechanical being."

"Okay, so I was a Toa. A blue one. In a beautiful castle. And Matau was there, and so were several others. All Toa, of different colors. White, black, red, green, and brown. We were going to play hide-and-seek. And I was a queen of some sort, and I had to wear a blue cape and a silver crown." Vivid images of her dream flashed through Nokama's mind. "What does this all mean?"

"You are simply realizing your past." Tyorin stated. His tone soon turned grim and serious. "Find those you saw in your dream. Nuju, Whenua, Vakama, Matau, and Onewa. Realize your destiny and the kingdom will rise again." He touched Nokama on the forehead and she fell asleep.

Nuju sat alone in the corner of the cafeteria, eating a lunch he had made himself. All he could think about was Whenua and Vakama. He was anxious for the meeting that would take place tonight, where questions would be answered and history would be blown open to reveal the past of the city.

_What is up with this city, anyway?_ Nuju thought, chewing on an egg noodle. _Too many questions,_ he decided. _And not enough answers._

In another part of the city, Onewa had just escaped from the chaos that was a lunch line with his lunch barely intact. Tenth grade lunch was insane.

Unfortunately, he had been in that dastardly lunch line long enough for his regular table to get filled up, so he had to sit somewhere else. He spotted a blond kid with multiple rings and studs adorning his ears reading a thick book. Onewa recognized him from his English class. Next to him was an open seat.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" Onewa asked smoothly, hooking a few of his dark brown dreadlocks behind his ear.

"Nngh? Sure." The blondie mumbled, looking up at Onewa quizzically with eyes of deep green. He soon reverted back to his book, though. Onewa sat down and stabbed a plastic fork into his chicken fingers.

"What are you reading, blondie?" He asked.

"A book." The blond-haired kid said. "And my name's not 'blondie', it's Whenua. Whenua Wingley."

"I'm Onewa. What kind of book?"

"History. Trying to make sense of something for a friend." Whenua flipped a page. All he could think about was Metru Nui and his meeting with Nuju and Vakama. His eyes widened. Those names, along with his and Onewa's, had been printed in the book! He rubbed his eyes, thinking it was a trick of his mind. A woodblock illustration of six tall robot-like figures laughing and playing decorated the page and a caption under it read, _The queen and her courtiers were very close._

"Onewa, look." Whenua pointed to the main text under the picture and its caption.

_Within Queen Nokama's court were five others, a Toa from each Metru. All of them were, to her, more than mere footmen, but true companions of hers. The queen and her courtiers were very close. Toa Vakama of Ta-Metru, Toa Matau of Le-Metru, Toa Whenua of Onu-Metru, Toa Nuju of Ko-Metru, and Toa Onewa of Po-Metru all commanded the respective elements of their districts and served Toa Nokama, who originated from Ga-Metru. _

"I know a girl named Nokama. She's friends with my cousin Matau." Onewa said in shock.

"And I know somebody named Nuju, who knows somebody named Vakama." Whenua replied, as shocked as Onewa. "Where did you get your name?" He asked. "It's pretty common for people to have exotic names in this area, but I want to know where yours came from."

"I was named after a past person in a legend."

"So was I! Which legend?" Whenua sounded almost desperate now. His emerald eyes were wide open to the point of almost being scary.

"One about a sweet and kind queen who was best friends with her courtiers." Onewa looked at Whenua, almost scared.

"Me too!" Whenua exclaimed. "Oh my gosh!"

"Calm down, spaz." Onewa said. "So we have the same name as a pair of legendary figures and we know people who do as well. What's your point?"

"My point is this." Whenua flipped to a marked page and thrust the book in front of Onewa.

_The kingdom has fallen twice: Once by a malevolent evil who misjudged his own power to send the kingdom spiraling into demise, and again by the same malevolent evil who misjudged his timing. Historians who have researched this subject believe that the kingdom is set to rise again, under the rule of the same six who have been reborn under the same names._

"That could be us!" Whenua yelped. Looking around, he realized that people were staring and lowered his tone. "I think this requires further discussion. Let's get together sometime."

"Lunch is almost over and I know you're in my English class," Onewa stabbed his fork into the tray to prepare it for disposal. "I'll talk to you then."

"Right back at ya."

Onewa got up to throw away his refuse. _That was weird._

Nokama woke up in the comfort and safety of her own bed in her own house. She could hear her mother making lunch downstairs. Nokama got up and ran to the kitchen and hugged her mom.

"Mom!" She squealed.

"Are you feeling better, sweetheart?"

Nokama looked at her mother as if she had grown a second head. "What do you mean?"

"After Matau and Onewa brought you home, you appeared to have caught a cold. So I let you stay home from school today."

Nokama gaped. That was not what had happened, not even close. She remembered being captured by some strange force, and that violet-haired man Tyorin.

"You slept all day and had a fever."

But everything felt so real. It couldn't have been a dream. She remembered Tyorin flicking her hair, and the burning of the Energized Protodermis...

"Okay. I feel better now." Nokama tried to smile sincerely, but all she could manage was a weak, flaky, grin. She ran back upstairs, remembering that her "Happy Face" T-shirt, which she recalled had a particular stain on the back from sitting on ketchup, should be missing if what she had gone though was true. The shirt was sitting on the chair of her desk, but the giant dark red blotch on the back was gone. A small slip of paper fluttered to the floor as she unfolded it.

_I can tell you obviously like this shirt. It's improper for a queen to go around wearing stained clothing. I washed this for you. -Tyorin_

Nokama sighed. She wasn't going crazy. But why did her mom think she was sick when she had been missing for the last day? It was almost as confusing as that strange illusion she saw on TV once. A man had demonstrated hypnosis on an audience member during a late-night TV show. The audience member had thought he was walking in the park with his girlfriend and...

_That's it!_ Nokama realized. _Hypnosis! He had my mom under some kind of illusion!_

She picked up her phone and sent a text message to the one person who would believe her.


	8. Chapter 7: The One Person

**Chapter VII - The One Person**

Matau pressed the tip of his pencil hard on the paper. He was supposed to be taking notes for a math test, but he couldn't concentrate.

"Slope is the change in y over the change in x, or delta Y over delta X."

He knew this was important, and he scribbled the notes and equations down. In the margins, he doodled Nokama, or at least the best rendering of her he could. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw the empty seat where Nokama would have sat in this class. She would have raised her hand and asked something about finding the slope of a line inside a cube connecting two vertices. The clock ticked, it was almost time for school to end.

"Egh!"

He felt his phone vibrate against his shin. Peeking into the leg pocket of his cargo pants, he saw that he had a new text message. From Nokama.

_Holy crap,_ he thought, raising his hand. "Ms. Eulich, may I go to the bathroom?"

Ms. Eulich nodded and Matau stood, snatching a hall pass and sprinting out of the room.

In the secluded stall of the boys' bathroom, he extracted his phone and checked his message inbox.

_mat im back nd i hav sumthin important to tell u,_ the message from Nokama read. _i cant txt well so meet me at my house right after school nd bring onewa ill tell u guys everythin love nokama_

Matau let out a gigantic sigh of relief. After being missing for almost a day, Nokama was back. Whew. He stowed his phone in his pocket, flushed the toilet, and walked back to class. Nokama was all right. That was his first worry. If his friend had been harmed in any way, though, there would be hell to pay.

"Onewa! Nokama wants to meet us at her house after school!" Matau dashed up to his cousin once the bell rang. Onewa turned to face the green-haired freshman.

"She's back?" He asked.

"Yeah! She texted me during math class!"

"Awesome!" Onewa jumped in the air and grinned. "I was so worried!" He turned back to the person he was talking to. "By the way, Whenua, this green meanie is my cousin Matau." Onewa put an arm around his cousin and pulled him close.

Whenua looked at the newcomer. He had long green hair and bright red eyes, but so could anyone, if they had the right color of dye and a pair of contacts. However, upon closer inspection, he found that the roots of Matau's hair were green as well, colored more expertly and naturally than any stylist could. And he could see no sign of any contact lens in Matau's eyes.

_This is intriguing..._ He thought.

Matau noticed the silence of his cousin's friend, along with his zombie-like stare.

"Hey." He said, waving to Whenua. "What's your name?"

Whenua shook his head to snap out of it. "I'm Whenua," He said. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Matau replied. "I need to steal Onewa for now, sorry." He flashed a grin and took Onewa by the wrist. "See you later!"

"Seeya, Whenua." Onewa called back as Matau dragged him off.

Nokama watched her friends' arrival from the foyer window. She rushed to greet them as they walked in.

"Hi guys, I need to talk to you. It's important. It's about where I was yesterday, and-"

Onewa and Matau gathered their friend up in a giant bear hug before she could finish her sentence.

"We were so worried about you." Onewa murmured.

"We thought you were hurt, or even worse, dead!" Matau cried. He bawled into the back of Nokama's shirt.

"I missed you guys as well," Nokama replied. "Did you guys get home safely?" Her friends released her.

"Yeah, we did." Matau said. "What did you need to tell us?

"I... It's gonna sound stupid... But promise you two will believe me..." Nokama looked turned and went upstairs, beckoning for the others to follow. Upon reaching her room, she sat down on her bed. Onewa and Matau sat on each side of her.

"Remember when I went missing the day before yesterday?" Nokama asked. "I couldn't stop running."

"Where did you go?"

"I ended up in an alley and someone made me pass out, I think."

"Who?"

Nokama looked at Matau and Onewa. "Remember that purple-haired guy from the mall?"

Matau and Onewa nodded. They had the image of that long violet hair blazing in their minds, and that shadowy face hidden behind the purple veil. "Well, he got me." Nokama said. "In some sort of lair or dungeon or something. I tried to escape, but I passed out again after touching some sort of silver liquid. And getting punched. Then I had a dream."

"What was it?" Onewa asked.

"Um... It's hard to explain, but just stick with me..." Nokama tried. "We were some sort of robot, I guess, but Tyorin... The guy with the purple hair... Insisted that I call them... Us... Toa, or Biomechanical beings or something like that."

"So we were these... Toa." Onewa commented. "Wait a second. Whenua showed me something about Toa in this history book. What were their names?"

"Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Whenua, Vakama, and Nuju, or at least that's what Tyorin told me." Nokama replied. "You know, same names as us. And that Whenua kid you just mentioned.

"Well, in this dream, I was the queen of Metru Nui, and I was a Toa." Nokama continued. "Then this other Toa who wore white armor came in and started lecturing me for waking up really late. Then Matau came in. His armor was green, like his hair." She pointed to Matau's long, bushy hair. "Then I said that we should play hide-and-seek. Then Matau ran out of the room. Then another Toa named Whenua came in, scolded me a little, and led me to the throne room where the other Toa stood, and then I passed out and woke up back in a room with Tyorin."

"And then what?"

"He made me brush my hair then I passed out again and ended up back home," Nokama said. "I asked my mom about it but she said you two brought me home and I got sick."

"We didn't bring you home."

"No, you didn't. I think mom was put under some hypnotism thing that Tyorin did." Nokama sighed. She stood up and picked up her "Happy Face" shirt. "See my shirt?" She asked. "Remember that big ketchup stain on it?" She turned the shirt around. "It's gone. Tyorin said he washed it." Nokama threw the shirt back onto her chair. "This is all so crazy! What's going on?" She kicked a pile of dirty laundry on the floor and flopped down on her bed face down.

Onewa and Matau rubbed her back as she cried in confusion.

Nuju Traversi sat on the cement stoop of the library and scanned the sea of passing people for a hint of blond spiked hair. After several false alarms, he spotted his quarry, and stood up.

"Whenua!" Nuju yelled. "Up here!"

"Yo." Whenua trotted up the stairs, book in hand, and pat Nuju on the shoulder. Nuju's cyan dress shirt rustled with the action. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

The two walked down to the bus stop and boarded the bus once it arrived. It took them straight to the hospital, where Nuju and Whenua requested to go see Vakama. They climbed several sets of stairs, and once they entered Vakama's room, the blond-haired boy greeted them with hugs, handshakes, and grins.

"Hey, Nuju!" Vakama thumped him on the back. "Nice to see you." He turned to Whenua. "And I assume this is Whenua? Nice to meet you."

"You seem chipper today," Nuju commented as Whenua sat down with the book. "What's up?"

"They're letting me out this Saturday." Vakama replied. "Isn't it great? No more testing, no more, 'Oh, Vakama, you absolutely must stay in because of your delicate condition...' It's great!"

"I see..." Nuju answered. Vakama had a giant grin on his face, which could almost be described as hysterical. "Anyway, Whenua brought the book." The three boys sat down on the hospital bed and opened to the first page Whenua had marked - The page with the woodblock picture of Queen Nokama and her court.

"Interesting..."

Nuju flipped absentmindedly to a random page as Whenua and Vakama continued to read and discuss. _So, this kingdom is gonna rise again, under our rule? If this is so, where would we start? Some archaeological evidence would be nice... _His thoughts trailed off with a gasp.

_No freaking way._

_

* * *

AN: Ohoho new chapter 8D I don't really have much to say on this, but the story starts heating up around here/pretty soon.  
_


	9. Chapter 8: What Lies Beneath The Stars

_Yaaaaay I'm back from camp, which means a NEW CHAPTER. Plus I finally got the rest of the story plotted out and finished writing chapter 12, FINALLY. Muahahah. _

**

* * *

Chapter VIII - What Lies Beneath the Stars**

Nokama lay awake in bed. Matau and Onewa had long left her house, leaving her to contemplate her sorrows in solitude at her request. The soft green glow of the plastic stars pasted on her ceiling did nothing to comfort her when it usually would, so she sat up in the dark and peeked through the blinds of her window.

Like fallen stars, the sparkling, urban landscape of Great City greeted her eyes. And in the skies, among the faded beauty of the real stars, drowned out by light pollution, Nokama could see six stars which shone brighter than their celestial kin.

_Spirit stars._

_XxX  
_

Vakama lay awake in his own bed. It was well past midnight. Chuckling softly, he thought, _Technically, I'm being let out tomorrow._

Nuju and Whenua had some hours ago, but not before the three of them had gotten in a good amount of reading. Vakama's head rushed with the ideas shoved down his throat. This overruled anything about history he had learned in his lifetime, and if it really was true, he wasn't sure what he would do.

Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine what Metru Nui looked like. The book described it as an "urban metropolis", a city greater than Great city which he lived in now. Smiling, he succumbed to sweet slumber.

_It seems like a nice place._

_XxX  
_

"Archaeological evidence... Is this real?"

Nuju mumbled as he paced in his moonlit backyard holding a shovel and a flashlight. He had been struck with the worst bout of insomnia he had had in a while. "If there's archaeological evidence, why haven't I heard? Why haven't I seen any when we went on that trip to Great City museum last week?" In confusion, he plunged his shovel into a spot in the edge of his backyard. As he pushed, it sunk down into the soft earth.

"Whoa!"

Nuju started when the friction pushing up against his shovel suddenly ceased. He could tell that the spade was waving around in empty space and only the shaft was being constrained by the dirt. He wiggled the shovel, and little parts of the ground crumbled away forming a hole big enough to see through. Nuju got on the ground, shined the flashlight on the hole, and looked down. He gasped.

He stuck his head through the ceiling of a large cavern, supposedly a foot or two underground. Energized tubes ran around the cavern, resting on support struts dotting the area. But the most prominent feature of the cavern were tall, crystal-like structures, placed among winding roads. Some of them were broken while others stood proud, but the whole area was shrouded in soft snow.

"Amazing..."

While he was at the hospital reading with Whenua and Vakama, Nuju had flipped ahead a few pages because the other two were slow readers. What he had found was more than intriguing, and he had made sure to show the others.

_When the Toa Metru had failed their mission, Metru Nui had been thrown into chaos. Makuta Tyorin had made sure the districts were destroyed and the Matoran killed. The lone survivor, a Ga-Matoran named Edessa, is locked in an eternal sleep in a stasis tube in the Great Temple of Ga-Metru. _The book showed a picture of a robotic form wearing a sleek, helmetlike mask.

Nuju reflected on this Edessa being and her state. If she was locked in sleep for that long a time, there was no telling what might have happened to her. He was about to pull himself up to go back to bed when his shoulder hit the edge of the hole and it caved in, taking Nuju with it.

His screams echoed throughout the cavern. As he fell, he could see stars dotting the ceiling, as if there was no solid ceiling separating his world and this... place. And in the cavern skies, he could see six stars, shining brightly...

_ Stupid,_ He thought. _I'm gonna die and I'm thinking about stars? I'll never survive a fall like this!_ _I didn't have to investigate anyway! Stupid stupid stupid! If only I didn't have to get dragged into this whole ordeal and now I'm gonna meet my end by falling to my doom. Stupid!_

He hit the flat cap of one of the crystal structures hard and lay, unmoving, in the snow.

_XxX_

Matau was annoyed. It was well past midnight, and he couldn't get to sleep. For pete's sake, he had a math test tomorrow... _Today,_ he corrected, and he couldn't get the rest he deserved. Grabbing his cell phone, he decided to give his cousin a call.

"Mat...?" Onewa's sleepy voice wafted into the darkness. "What the hell are you doing, calling me at 2 in the morning...? Idiot... Lemme go back to sleep..."

"Onewa, this is important."

"More important than your freaking math test tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Matau replied. "I keep thinking about Nokama and how she got kidnapped and this Tyorin guy, I think we're in danger. I'm losing sleep over it!"

"No kidding, Sherlock. Did you call me just to say that?" Onewa snapped. "Look, we can talk tomorrow. Just, let me sleep!"

"Onewa? Agh, he hung up." Matau snapped his phone shut and put it back on his nightstand. He sat on his bed and looked out the window over his desk. It was a clear night, and right outside his window, he could see six stars glimmering brighter than the others.

Then he couldn't see anything.

_XxX_

"Are you awake?"

When Matau could open his eyes again, he found himself naked and lying down on a comfortable sleeping pallet in a small hut. Instinctively, he moved to cover himself. "Where am I?"

The figure standing over him brushed away long purple hair from its face, revealing its identity. "Le-Metru."

"Oh my God. Are you Tyorin?" Matau asked, recognizing the being from the mall and Nokama's reiteration of her disappearance.

"Aww. I was going to introduce myself, but I see that you already know me." Tyorin smiled.

"Okay, so what's Le-Metru and why am I naked?"

"Oh, sorry, I can't teleport clothes. I'll take care of that." Tyorin waved his hand and immediately a swarm of purple butterflies fluttered around him to cover him.

"That's... Interesting..." Matau said. "So, what's Le-Metru?"

"The central transport hub of Metru Nui," Tyorin answered. "Without it, Metru Nui grinds to a halt.

"Also, it is your home district, Matau Gail Giovanni."

"How do you know my full name?"

"I know a lot of things. Step outside with me, Matau. Let's explore your origin." Before he could react, Matau was taken by the hand and led out of the hut.

* * *

_I drew a picture of Matau being clothed by butterflies. Then my brother comes in, looks at my drawing, and goes, "DUDE! WTF, are those butterflies giving him-" Yeah you get my drift. ^^;;  
Anyway, I was drawing a lot while I was working on this chapter. I did a drawing of Edessa and another character who will be appearing. It's on my deviantART._


	10. Chapter 9: Butterflies

_AN: Wewt, new one. I don't really have much to say about this chapter except that it came pretty quickly for me and that I had a lot of fun writing it. _

**

* * *

Chapter IX - Butterflies**

"This is the Metru, the district, that you defend. You are the hero of this Metru." Tyorin said.

"Cool." Matau breathed. Even in a decrepit and broken state, Le-Metru was a stunning landscape. Garages, indoor tracks, workshops, and terminals mingled with the houses throughout the district, and magnetic tubes, which Tyorin called "chutes", connected different places in the Metru. It was the barely controlled chaotic environment Matau liked, not so different from his bedroom. And Tyorin seemed nice, too. He wondered what there was to be scared of, he was taking him on a personal tour of this really cool place. So, he followed the violet-haired man around the Metru. They were at a place called the "Moto-Hub" when Matau decided to speak up again.

"Why are you helping us? I heard about how you brought Nokama back home and even cleaned her shirt. And are you gonna bring me back home?"

"All in due time," Tyorin said lightly. "I have plans which require all six of you, yes. I'm just insuring that my plans will succeed."

"Six?" Matau remembered the people Nokama had spoken of after her return.

"Matau, Toa of Air. Nokama, Toa of Water. Onewa, Toa of Stone. Nuju, Toa of Ice. Whenua, Toa of Earth, and Vakama, Toa of Fire. The rulers of Metru Nui, the Queen's court.

"It is your duty to rendezvous with these individuals," Said Tyorin. "Bring together the court again. It is your duty." He tapped Matau on the forehead and the boy fell unconscious.

"It is your destiny."

XxX

The first thing Nuju felt when he came to was the excruciating pain. He was sure that every bone in his body was broken at least twice, or at least it felt that way.

_Why is everything red...?_ He thought. Ignoring the stabbing pain coursing through him, he lifted his hand weakly and brought it to his face. _I'm bleeding!_

He wanted to scream. Nuju hated the sight of blood, and the feel of the thick red liquid pouring out of him made him shiver in fear. _Oh crap! _

"Help... Me..." He croaked as he felt his consciousness fading away. "Help..."

Through blurry eyes, Nuju thought he saw a swarm of purple butterflies hover above him.

XxX

The first thing Nuju felt when he came to was the warmth. He felt as if he was taking a comfortably hot bath, but there was no water.

"Nuju, are you awake?"

He could clearly hear Whenua's voice. But that couldn't be true, it was midnight, wasn't it?

"Hey, snowman. Wake up!"

Another voice, this one slightly sharp and light, accompanied the sensation of being shook. Nuju opened his eyes.

He was sitting near a fireplace with five other robotic-looking beings. _Queen Nokama and her court,_ He realized, recognizing them from the illustrations in the book. "I'm awake," He answered.

"Silly Nuju." Queen Nokama smiled. "For an ice Toa, you have a tendency of falling asleep near the fire. Matau, keep reading!"

"All right, my Queen." The green one, Matau, answered. He turned a page in the book he held. "Okay, so Wiai and Lura traveled as far as they can. They took underwater chutes and walked over islands in search of the Ignika so they could save their friend, but they couldn't find it. The two Matoran knelt on the plains of the continent and began to sob..."

As Matau read, Nuju looked around. He was sitting between Whenua and Vakama near the fireplace. They were in a large parlor and ornaments hung all over the walls. It was nighttime, and everyone was wearing capes colored in their respective colors.

"Hold up." Whenua said abruptly. "Do you hear that?" He stood up and leaned his head against the wall. Faint clanging noises could be heard. By then, everyone was wary. Nokama looked out the window and gasped.

"Rahkshi!"

An army of bipedal reptilian beings were about to storm the castle. A flock of purple butterflies fluttered in their wake, and commanding them was a violet-hued titan with wispy wings of pure energy.

"Tyorin! He's about to take the castle!" Exclaimed Vakama.

"Quick, everyone outside!" Nokama cried. Nuju followed her and the others to the balcony as Onewa hurled chunks of stone down at the Rahkshi. Vakama incinerated the butterflies as they fluttered around, but for every Rahkshi and butterfly they defeated, ten more would take its place.

"It's the six of us versus millions of them," Matau commented, using his powers over air to fling the attackers away. "We're lost!" Already, Rahkshi and butterflies were pouring into the castle. Nuju kicked at a red Rahkshi, but it struck him with his staff before he could attack again.

The butterflies accompanying the Rahkshi had done their damage, as well. Already they had infiltrated the kingdom and sent most of its inhabitants into an unending sleep. As they fluttered past, Nuju began to feel drowsy, and knew that everyone else was beginning to tire.

"Whenua, we need your powers over earth! Open up a fissure under the kingdom and swallow it whole!" Cried Nokama, shaking off a green Rahkshi.

"But that'll kill us all!"

"Better to be dead than under Tyorin's rule! I'm the queen, DO AS I SAY!" A poison taint began to spread across her body. Whenua nodded and opened up the earth underneath the kingdom, leaving the kingdom of Metru Nui to fall to its doom.

XxX

Nuju woke up screaming. He was back in his bed at home, but how? And his wounds had all disappeared. Looking outside, he could see that the shovel he had used was still there, but the hole had been covered up.

"Are you all right?"

Nuju whirled around. Before him stood a man in a beaked mask, purple hair flowing in a nonexistent breeze.

"Who are you?" Replied Nuju.

"I am Tyorin."

"You! The destroyer of the kingdom of Metru Nui! You monster!" Nuju hissed, kicking at the man. Tyorin easily dodged his attacks and grabbed Nuju's chin.

"You will find the five you have seen in your dream. Bring rise to the kingdom again. It is your destiny."

"What? But-!"

Nuju's sentence was cut off by Tyorin disappearing in a flurry of purple butterflies.


	11. Chapter 10: One Fine Day

**Chapter X - One Fine Day**

"Nokama! Matau and Onewa are here to take you to school!"

"I know, mom!" Nokama raced down the stairs to greet her friends. Matau and Onewa stood in the foyer, waiting for her to grab her backpack and walk to school with them.

"Hey, Nokama." Onewa greeted. "What's up?"

"Just trying to get over the whole Tyorin thing." Nokama replied. "What's up with you guys?"

"I had a weird dream last night." Matau said.

"Oh, so you did get to sleep." Onewa quipped. Matau shot a glare at him, then continued.

"It involved Tyorin." Continued Matau, looking shiftily at Nokama. "I'll tell you... I mean, if you really want to hear it."

Nokama sighed. There was no escaping this. "Yeah, sure, why not."

Quickly, Matau reiterated his "dream". He met Tyorin, went to Le-Metru, and learned more about the court. Nokama's eyes widened. Onewa shook his head. So far, he hadn't had much contact with his supposed "past". Whenua had a book on it, Nokama had been kidnapped by Tyorin, and Matau had a dream.

_If I'm a Toa or whatever, then why does everyone know about it except me?_ He thought. _I had better get a vision or something soon, or else this is all hogwash. _

_

* * *

_

At school, Onewa parted with his freshman cousin and his friend and walked over to the sophomore wing. Standing by his locker was Whenua, that hysterical blonde from before.

"Yo." He greeted.

"Hi, Whenua." Onewa stuffed his backpack into his locker, only taking the things he needed for class. "What's up?"

"You know what I said 'bout hanging out before?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You wanna get together about this whole Metru Nui thing? I mean, I've got a few friends who want in on it too..." Whenua said as the faces of Nuju and Vakama flashed through his mind.

"Sure. My cousin and his friend have something to say about it too." Onewa replied. "How's tomorrow for you guys?"

"That's good for us. Vak's getting out of the hospital tomorrow morning and Nuju has nothing, as far as I know."

"Who was in the hospital?"

"Nevermind." Whenua waved his hand, dismissing the topic. "I'll see you tomorrow. How's noon?"

"Good. See you then." Onewa said, walking to his first class.

* * *

"Good news, Vakama Ingrid. You're being let out a day early."

Vakama leapt up and let out a loud whoop. No more tests, no more crappy hospital food! His parents greeted him with hugs and kisses, and they drove home.

Vakama ran up the driveway and across the lawn, glad to be back home. But he stopped short upon seeing the figure sitting on his doorstep.

"Arin!" Vakama yelled. "Whatcha doin' here?"

"Hey, Vak." Arin replied. "I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by and check with your parents to see how you're doing, but I guess you're doing fine."

"Yeah, they let me out early." Vakama said. Noticing he was still dressed in his hospital gown, he added, "Um, wanna come in? I need to get changed."

Arin stood outside Vakama's bedroom as he rummaged around trying to find clothes for himself. He brushed mousy hair out of his eyes and sighed.

"Wanna hang out tomorrow? Since you were hospitalized, we couldn't really do anything."

"Yeah, sure."

There was a faint buzzing noise.

"What's that?" Arin asked.

"I got a text from Whenua."

"Who's that?"

"Guy I met at the hospital." Vakama answered. He opened up the message.

_hi, vak! im txting u break, my friend onewa nd i were talkin, wanna hang out 2morrow lunch? call me l8er! -whenua_

"Hey, mind if we hang with Whenua? It'd be cool if you guys met." Added Vakama.

"Sure, whatever." Arin replied.

"Is lunch good for you?" Answered Vakama, popping out of his room dressed in a T-shirt and khakis. His red-blonde hair was in a short ponytail, save for some bangs framing his face.

"Yeah."

"Hey, how about we go play some video games?" Vakama smiled. Arin looked into the bright green eyes of his best friend. Sometimes they didn't get along, but still, Vakama was a nice person.

"Sure." Arin smiled back.

* * *

"All right, once you get your test, you may begin."

Matau panicked. He had NOT studied for this test, what with Nokama returning and Tyorin visiting him and all.

"Delta Y over delta X..." He mumbled, fumbling with his calculator. "Ok, if point a is..." Matau looked over at Nokama. She seemed to be normal.

_Of course, she's a genius._ Matau thought. _Plus, she probably studied._ _I hope she's okay. Kidnapping seems like a harrowing experience... Gah, I have half an hour left? Okay, time to work on my test._

Matau filled in the answers as best he could and turned it in. _Probably didn't get good marks on it anyway. _He waited as Nokama finished her test, and once she did, he flicked a note over to her desk.

_Hey Nokama, how're you doing?_

_Pretty decent,_ was the reply. Matau scribbled something down on the note and passed it over again.

_We have gym next. Wanna help me cream Jonas at soccer again?_

_ You know it! _

Matau paused. Nokama didn't seem fazed at all, she seemed like her normal self. Quickly, he jotted down his thoughts to pass to Nokama.

_You seem chipper today. Anything up?_

_ Why, am I not allowed to be happy?_ Nokama replied.

_No, it's just that, after being kidnapped and shown a vision, I would think you'd be more, well, in a state of shock. I certainly am, after last night._

Nokama seemed to think for a while, and she took a long time writing back. When the note arrived, it read:

_It's better to move on and not let any harrowing experiences faze you. They're all in the past, right? However, I feel that since we have a pretty obvious destiny, we definitely need to look forward and not let our fear and shock restrict us from realizing it. You got me?_

Matau looked at her and nodded. She smiled back, and he felt his heart leap.

This was what made him like her so much.

* * *

Across town, Nuju wasn't feeling as confident as Nokama. He had already gone to the nurse's office several times for nausea and headaches, and was in a dizzy state of confusion.

_My destiny? What about my hopes and dreams? If I have to abandon them only for the kingdom to fall to Tyorin again, I'll be damned! _

_ I can't believe Nokama would sacrifice her kingdom like that! And what about that place with the crystal towers? I can't believe that's been lying under my backyard the whole time, and I'm moving away in like, a week! _

Nuju lay on a cot behind a screen in the nurse's office, cringing in pain. "I need to go home..." He said weakly. The nurse nodded and was about to dial for his parents to pick him up when his father walked into the room.

"I'm here for Nuju Traversi," He said. "I'm his father."

"He's over there."

Nuju watched his father approach. "Hey, kiddo. We're going home." Nuju stood up feebly and gathered his things. School was almost over anyway. He followed his father out of the school building, and once they exited, Mr. Traversi disappeared.

Nuju almost screamed. Standing in his place was Tyorin. "How did you..." He gasped.

"Shapeshifting is a universal power for all Makuta, Nuju. You of all people should know that.

"I'm sorry about our meeting being cut short last night, but I had to go. Now, I can tell you what I really wanted to say."

"And what is that?" Inquired Nuju.

"You will meet with your friends tomorrow. It's your destiny."

Nuju spat, anger filling his body. "Bullcrap. I've had enough of this destiny talk, 'destiny' this and 'destiny' that. What I really want to be is an astrophysicist, not a noble! I don't want to have to give up my dreams for this destiny. Who said you were gonna dictate what we did and didn't do anyway? Are you some divine power? I don't wanna be a noble..." Nuju started to cry. "You killed a whole kingdom... You're an evil person..." He sobbed. "I've been feeling like crap the whole day 'cause of you!"

Nuju didn't like crying, showing emotion was for weak people. But even then, his emotion mixed in with his confusion and ailment was too much, he burst out bawling to this evil person he hardly knew. "I need answers..."

Tyorin pat Nuju on the shoulder. "And I will give you those answers. Come with me, Nuju Traversi." He led Nuju away, down the school's walkway.

"You are Nuju, scholar of Ko-Metru and Toa Metru of ice in your past life," Tyorin continued. "And before that, you were also Queen Nokama's personal astrologer."

"I think I knew at least that much from reading." Nuju replied coldly.

"This kingdom is tied to your destiny. Struggle as you may, but the headstrong decisions of the others will serve to pull you down with them."

Just then, Nuju felt buzzing in his left pocket. Pulling out his cell phone, he found that Whenua had texted him.

_Hey N, my friend Onewa nd i were talking, wanna come hang with us 2morrow noon? Vak's coming 2, nd so r Onewa's cousin nd his friend. seeyas! -Whenua_

"What is it?" Asked Tyorin sweetly.

"Uh, Whenua's wondering if I can hang out with him, Vakama, some kid named Onewa, and a few others tomorrow." Nuju answered, replacing his phone.

"Are you going?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Tyorin nodded silently. "It is there you will find the answers you seek." He waved his hand, summoning purple butterflies to fill the air. Nuju felt himself being carried home, and once he arrived, he found that Tyorin had disappeared.

* * *

_AN: FINALLY I UPDATED WOOO. School just started which limits my time writing because I have to do actual *work* -coughcough- but I'll try to update as much as I can.  
Oh look I snuck in some MxN now, there go my readers. XD_


	12. Chapter 11: No Turning Back

_AN: LOOK ANOTHER CHAPTER :D I'M SO COOL.  
I'm glad I'm updating again... I'm actually working on writing chapter 15 right now. I can see the end, it's so close yet so far away! DX  
I have a set goal for how many chapters this will end up being now, it should be about twenty. Here's the 11th chapter, so enjoy!  
_

**Chapter XI - No Turning Back**

Whenua stood waiting by the entrance to the food court at the mall. It was almost noon on the specified day, the others should be arriving by now. Impatient, he tapped his foot. Soon, one-by-one, his friends arrived.

"Hi, Whenua." Nuju high-fived the blonde, but Whenua noticed that he seemed slightly lackluster.

"Hey, Whenua. This is Arin, I hope you don't mind that he tagged along."

"No prob, Vak." Whenua replied.

"Hiya, blondie! I brought my cousin and his giiiiiiirlfriiiieeeend!" Onewa entered, followed by Matau, who was trying to bop his cousin on the head.

"She's not my girlfriend!" He yelled. Another girl followed them, with long blue hair and bright orange eyes.

_The queen herself..._ Whenua thought in awe. _I remember her, she's on the town's soccer team... It's hard to believe that our forward player was really royalty._ He chuckled softly.

XxX

Arin grit his teeth. Why was he even here? Vakama obviously wanted to hang with his new hospital buddies or whatever. He studied the other participants. There was Vakama, of course. Then there was the emo, the nerd, the airhead, the dreadlocked bohemian, and then the chick.

Looking closer, Arin realized that Nokama was pretty dang cute. He liked the way she laughed at Onewa's comment.

The seven teens sat around a large table in the midst of the food court. Whenua hauled out "History of Metru Nui" from his backpack and placed it in front of him.

"You all understand why we're here, right?" He asked. Everyone nodded. "Apparently it's our inescapable destiny to reinstate this kingdom of Metru Nui."

"Metru Nui?" Asked Arin. "Whaddya talkin' about?"

"If you have to ask, then you aren't meant to know." Nuju answered coldly. Whenua bit his lip. Nuju seemed to be in a terrible mood.

"Says you, nerd!" Arin retorted. Nuju shot him as dirty a look he could manage, causing Vakama to step between them.

"Guys," He exclaimed. "Let Whenua finish."

"Anyway," Whenua went on. "We're all supposedly these Toa, and Nokama's our queen. I'm sure most of you had met with someone named Tyorin, or seen into our past. And if you haven't, then you probably will, shortly." Matau, Nuju, Nokama, and Vakama nodded. Onewa shrugged.

"If this is our inescapable destiny, then we probably need to start somewhere." Nokama piped up. "Does anyone have anything to say?"

"Yeah, apparently, Metru Nui lies under Great City." Vakama said. "Nuju, Whenua, and I researched it a few days ago."

"And," Nuju added, "I even took the trouble to do a little digging in my backyard."

"WHOA! What happened?" Matau asked.

"I ended up looking through the ceiling of a large cavern. The landscape below was spectacular; crystal towers were scattered among roads, buildings, and energized tubes." Nuju continued. Whenua flipped through the book.

"Oh! Here it is!" He shoved the book forward for Nuju to see. "You ended up in Ko-Metru, the district of the 'silent scholars'. Apparently, you're the Toa of Ice, the guardian of Ko-Metru, and a former scholar."

Nuju took the book to read more closely. "Awesome..." He said in awe, all traces of lackluster bitterness gone.

"Anything else?"

Nuju looked sheepish. "I kinda fell through and almost died... Then I had a dream. I _was_ Toa Nuju, and Matau was reading a story on the day the kingdom fell to Tyorin the first time. Nokama ordered Whenua to open the ground below the kingdom, then I woke up in my own room again."

Whenua was flipping through the book again. "Here! It says that... I commanded the ground to swallow the kingdom... Okay... Anybody have anything else to say?"

"In the book, there's something about a lone survivor of Tyorin's rage." Nuju said. "After Tyorin vented his anger of killing the Toa Metru too early, he caused a 'Matoran Apocalypse' and ended up pretty much decimating Metru Nui and all the inhabitants either fled or died." Nuju took the book and turned to a page in the back. "Here it is. There's a Ga-Matoran named Edessa in a stasis tube in the Great Temple."

"I think she might be the key to reinstating the kingdom," Said Nokama. "She could act as a guide and as our link to the past. We need to find her and awaken her."

Arin's eyes widened. He was originally here because Vakama allowed him to tag along, and stayed only because Nokama was cute, but now the topic was starting to get interesting.

"Okay, so how do we get there?" Asked Matau.

Onewa took the book from Nuju, found a map of Metru Nui, and studied it with a tactician's eye. "Apparently, the tallest structure in Metru Nui is the Coliseum. Nuju, how large was that cavern you fell into?"

Nuju leaned over Onewa's shoulder and looked at the map. "Pretty large, but I think the Coliseum might have exceeded that height."

"That's it!" Onewa exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "We find the Coliseum and use it to get down to Metru Nui safely. If it could have exceeded the cavern roof, like Nuju said, then we could probably find it up here."

"And if it's destroyed?" Whenua questioned.

"We'll find another way." Nokama answered.

"All right! So we go down to Metru Nui using the Coliseum, then waken Edessa?" Vakama said. "If that's our course of action, then everything's all set. Who wants to go get smoothies?"

"Ooh! Me! I love smoothies!" Matau answered, jumping up.

XxX

Arin stared at Nokama, trying to muster something to say. "Hey, um..."

"Yeah?" She answered, smiling.

"Wanna catch a movie sometime or something?"

"It depends on my schedule." Nokama answered relaxedly. She walked off to join Matau and the others.

_I lost before the battle's even begun!_ Arin thought. _But I ain't gonna lose the war..._

XxX

Onewa decided to hang around the mall with Whenua after everyone else had left.

"So, have you had any visions or dreams yet?" He asked the blonde.

"Truthfully, no." Whenua smiled. "But I know we're both part of the myth because everyone else has described it so."

"Hm."

"Still, it would be nice to have one of these visions. I want to see the Toa Metru and find out what happened from a first-person perspective."

"You've got an adventurous spirit to die for, don't you?"

Whenua grinned, ignoring the jab. "To be honest, I'm a sucker for things like this. A mystery of the past shrouded in darkness... Have you ever seen the books I read?"

"You read a lot of history. And mystery." Onewa replied flatly. "I've seen you in English. You have the book open on your lap while Mr. Dacimus is talking."

"Yeah..." Whenua continued sheepishly. "I'm always looking for one of those 'mysteries that a normal teenager gets drawn into and goes on an adventure' things. They sound exciting."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you're so excited about the whole thing." Onewa drawled sarcastically.

"I'll ignore the sarcasm and continue." Whenua replied. "I want to go on an adventure at least once. But don't tell anyone." He flashed a smile. "It's our secret."

"All right." Onewa said with a small smile. A long moment of awkward silence passed between them before Onewa spoke again. "Um, let's end this awkward post-bonding moment with small talk."

"I agree!" Whenua exclaimed. "So, did you finish your English homework yet?"

"Mmm, not really." Shrugged Onewa. "I kinda left my notebook at Matau's house, and- Hey, what's going on?"

The two teenagers felt the ground shift beneath them as the world turned hazy and indistinct.

"I don't know!"

The hazy and indistinct world began to darken, ending in a realm of darkness. Whenua and Onewa could feel solid ground beneath them, but they could see almost nothing. Instinctively, Whenua reached out to hold Onewa's hand.

"Hey!" Onewa yelped in surprise.

"Sorry."

"No problem." He held Whenua's hand tightly, not wanting to get lost. "What do we do now? Where are we?" Onewa felt panicked. Sure, he was used to hearing of mysterious things, but now experiencing them himself was most shocking and definitely scary.

"Welcome, boys."

All of a sudden, a glaring beam of light was shined on the two boys, and they winced from its brightness. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Tyorin stepped into the light. Both Whenua and Onewa could recognize him from tales they've heard. The luminescence reflected off his long purple hair, and before Onewa or Whenua could ask any more questions, Tyorin waved a hand and an image of six robotic figures, lying prone and still in a darkened cave, was conjured before the two boys.

"Are those the Toa Metru?" Whenua asked, regaining his composure before his friend.

"Dead as doornails," Tyorin said lightly. "All my fault."

"Derka-der!" Onewa snapped harshly, still scared out of his wits. It was unnerving seeing his own dead "body" up on the screen.

"In my anger, I brought the fabled 'Matoran Apocalypse' upon Metru Nui," Tyorin continued. "I was younger then, and less wise." He chuckled.

"Just how freakin' old are you?" Onewa asked, still clutching Whenua's hand. "And why'd you drag us here? Let us go home!"

"But, there was one brave Ga-Matoran, an oracle. Her name was Edessa." Tyorin said. "She asked to be put in stasis, like all those Rahi in the Onu-Metru archives, and stashed away in the Great Temple." He switched to an image of a blue robotic figure inside a cylindrical capsule filled with some sort of liquid. "She foresaw the Apocalypse and with oracular skills even greater than those of the best Ko-Matoran scholars, foresaw the arrival of you six. Vakama. Nokama. Matau. Onewa. Whenua. Nuju. It is her job to be the one who helps you realize your destinies and reinstate the kingdom."

"We already knew that." Whenua said. "Did you come all this way just to tell us?"

"No, I have something else." Tyorin added. "Close your eyes."

Onewa and Whenua both felt themselves growing sleepy. When they woke up again, they were specters, floating above red-hued foundries and huts. Tyorin hovered right beside them.

"Where are we?" Asked Onewa.

"Ta-Metru, the day of the Matoran Apocalypse. You see, people are dying," he pointed to a group of Matoran barely dodging flames erupting from fissures in the ground. Several Matoran weren't so lucky. "And people are trying to escape," he gestured to a faraway harbor as Matoran piled into boats and sailed away as fast as they could. "Others are huddled in the dark corners of Metru Nui, trying to survive for another day or two. This is all over Metru Nui, Whenua and Onewa. But, I have something you really want to see." Tyorin waved his hand and immediately, the three of them were in another district of Metru Nui. Whenua recognized it from pictures in the book.

"Ga-Metru," He breathed.

"Correct, Whenua." Tyorin said. "Now look closely."

On the streets of Ga-Metru, panic and fear were prevalent. Matoran ran to and fro, some running into unfortunate demises. However, one Matoran appeared to be completely calm. She stood in the midst of the chaos, deep in thought. Next to her was an Onu-Matoran, looking worried as he held her hand. Then suddenly, the duo sprinted over to the Great Temple. Tyorin, Whenua, and Onewa followed.

"Is that Edessa?" Asked Whenua. Tyorin nodded.

Edessa broke into the Great Temple, knocking aside the sentries as if they were nothing. The spectral trio followed Edessa and her Onu-Matoran friend down stairs as flames erupted from every side. The two Matoran dodged them with impressive skill and broke into a vault in the temple basement.

"Edessa, do you really have to do this? We can survive!" The Onu-Matoran cried.

"I have to, Aiyetoro." Edessa replied. "We all have a duty to Metru Nui, even though it appears that Metru Nui is about to be no more. Now, I need you to prepare me for stasis."

"That's inhumane! It goes against Onu-Metru law!"

"Sometimes you need to get your hands dirty. You, of all people, should know that, Aiyetoro." Edessa smiled sadly. "It's in the best interests of the city, so don't worry about me."

Aiyetoro sighed and pulled out of his backpack several odd-looking instruments. "I can't believe I'm doing this to you, of all people."

"You're not doing it to me," Edessa said. "You're doing this _for_ me, and the rest of Metru Nui too." She put an arm around the Onu-Matoran. "Don't worry, Aiyetoro. One day, we'll see each other again. The reincarnated will survive, and the kingdom will rise. This I know." She kissed him on the cheek as tears ran down his mask.

"I love you, Edessa." Aiyetoro wept as he prepared Edessa for stasis.

"I love you too, Aiyetoro." Edessa said. She drew in a sharp breath and stopped moving once Aiyetoro injected her with the tranquilizer, as if she were dead. Her heartlight pulsed dimly, and as Aiyetoro shut her away in the stasis tube, he fell to his knees sobbing.

"This is crazy..." Murmured Onewa, trembling. Whenua put a hand on his friend's shoulder to steady him. Onewa's eyes flashed. He lunged at Tyorin, screaming, "You caused all this! You monster bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Onewa! Knock it off!" Whenua yelled. Tyorin shrugged.

"It's not like the impression will last." He said calmly. "Relate to the others what you have seen, it's vital to the kingdom." He waved his hand again and the two teenagers were back at the mall in the exact spot they were before.

_It's your destiny..._


	13. Chapter 12: The First Step

_AN: Yessss, new chapter. This one's a tad long, in my opinion... Oh well._

**

* * *

Chapter XII - The First Step**

The being paced around his room and sat down in a plush chair. He tied up his long, violet hair and took off his jacket. This time, he would succeed in his plans, not bungle them like he had the last two times. Closing his eyes, he remembered...

Countless years ago, when the Makuta species still had flesh and bones, Tyorin had paced in his study gritting his teeth. The Kingdom of Metru Nui had it all: Unlimited resources, access to all trade routes, respect...

...Power. Metru Nui was at the head of the known universe. He who controlled Metru Nui had the opportunity to control anything else they wanted.

_Or she,_ Thought Tyorin. _Metru Nui is ruled by a queen, one who does not realize what power over the universe she holds. What stupidity! This queen is undeserving of her statue. No, the world needs someone who can rule Metru Nui with power._ He stood up and clenched his fist. _Me,_ He grinned, crimson eyes blazing. _I can be the new King of Metru Nui._ _Gorgon Makuta Tyorin. Then, the Brotherhood which I have abandoned will fall to their knees in fear. _He snapped his fingers, an action which echoed off the walls of the chamber.

"Metru Nui will be mine, no matter how long it takes." He hissed as his followers, dressed in dark cloaks with the Gorgon Makuta insignia, a purple butterfly, printed on the back.

"My lord, what is your command?" One of the cloaked members kneeled at Tyorin's foot.

"Make Rahkshi. Thousands of them." Tyorin stated. The cloaked Makuta nodded and the group left the room. Tyorin smiled maliciously. After revolting against the Brotherhood, he and his small band of Makuta, labeled "The Gorgons", had ascended to power easily and quickly, taking over many lands in the south and some in the heart of the universe. Now, his most ambitious project was about to begin.

Later on, he sulked in the depression of his failure. In his anxiety, he had killed the six Toa before they could rebuild the Kingdom of Metru Nui. He clenched his clawed hands into fists as the rage built up inside him. Bellowing, he rose into the sky above Metru Nui and looked upon the metropolis he was meant to rule. Its power had diminished in the absence of the Toa Metru, and under the rule of only one Turaga, whose rule couldn't hold a flame to how well the Kingdom was run.

"If I'm not meant to have it, nobody can!" Waving his arms, he called upon his powers of weather manipulation and watched as violent storms raged throughout the land. Flames erupted from the ground, burning whatever was in their path. Matoran were dying all around, and those who hadn't were trying in vain to find a safe haven.

And above, Tyorin had given into his emotions and oversaw the Matoran Apocalypse. Later on, he would feel some embarrassment for succumbing to his feelings and causing nothing but mass destruction, like some blundering Rahi, so he covered the entirety of Metru Nui with a solid dome of earth, the hill on which Great City was built upon.

Today, Tyorin sat in his chair alone. His followers were dead, and if any of them had been reborn, they didn't know. His most ambitious project had lead to the destruction of what he coveted. But no, he wouldn't make the same mistakes he had before. He was personally leading those kids to their unavoidable destinies and helping them. Through this manipulation, they would trust him as an ally, and when the purple butterflies flew through the skies of Metru Nui and the Rahkshi stormed the castle once more, they would deeply rue the day they trusted a Gorgon.

XxX

"Logic would dictate that the city hall is the marker for the Coliseum." Nuju said matter-of-factly.

It was a fresh Sunday morning, and Onewa had called for another meeting. Arin, wanting to see more of Nokama, tagged along as well, at Vakama's allowance. The seven were on a public bus headed for the city hall.

"I looked at a map of Great City versus a map of Metru Nui, compared several landmarks, the location of our homes, et cetera. They coincide." Whenua stated from his seat on the bus.

"Apparently, I live above the district known as Ko-Metru." Nuju nodded from his standing position in front of Whenua. "And Nokama lives over Ga-Metru, and so on. It certainly is interesting." A few strange looks were directed at the group from the other passengers, and Nuju lowered his voice. "The fact that I almost died falling into that cavern proves it."

"...Hey, have any of you finished your homework yet?" Arin asked, groping for a subject he knew about. "I mean, Vakama has an excuse 'cause he was hospitalized, but..."

"We don't really have time for this, Arin." Onewa said sternly.

"Screw homework, man." Matau leaned back in his seat, almost kicking Arin in the shins.

"I finished mine at school." Nuju replied flatly. "Can we talk about more important things?" His grip tightened on the metal pole he was holding onto. _The life of a Ko-Metru scholar is waiting for me!_ He thought, almost giddy at the prospect of a respected job doing what he loves most.

"Guys, we're there." Vakama said as the bus screeched to a halt and the doors swung open. As the seven gathered out on the sidewalk, they could see the Great City town hall in front of them-Polished marble, clean brick, and gold-leaf.

"...That's not the Coliseum." Whenua said in disappointment. He remembered images of a majestic, metallic, structure, towering over the rest of Metru Nui. Not some brick building.

"Maybe it's in the basement?" Suggested Matau.

Nokama looked around the town hall's yard. There was the soccer field she played on every so often, and the memorial to fallen war heroes from Great City which has been around since before she was born.

It was this structure her eyes lingered on, and Whenua noticed it.

"What's up, Nokama?" He asked. "You see anything?"

"Nothing much. I'm just thinking about the War Memorial." She said.

"Yes, it's amazing, how many people were willing to risk life and limb for the sake of the greater population."

"It's not just that." She walked over to the memorial, Whenua following after her. "I'm just thinking..."

The memorial was grandiose in size, metallic hues of copper and silver tarnished by years of weathering. Surrounding it were walls of black granite, listing names of citizens who had given up their lives for Great City. Whenua knelt at a little plaque at the bottom of the memorial. There was strange writing on it, a series of circles and dots and lines, but it looked familiar. He remembered it from "History of Metru Nui: Unabridged Edition".

"Nokama, look, the writing," He said, pointing to the plaque. "It's the writing system of the Matoran!"

"Can you read it?" Nokama asked.

"The book said it's no more than a cipher... And there was a decoder in the book... I could try..." Whenua replied.

"Go for it."

Whenua squinted and pushed his sunglasses up onto his head. "Only those who... Are destined... May pass..." He sighed and looked back at Nokama. "That's all I can get."

"That'll be enough." Vakama stepped up behind Whenua, surprising him and Nokama.

"It appears that the War Memorial is the Coliseum." Nuju said, leading the others. "All we need to do is find a way inside it."

Onewa circled the structure, running his hands over it. "I'd expect to find a window or something, maybe a secret panel... I dunno-Hey!" His hand pressed down on a hatch, and it slid open making a loud hissing noise, revealing a chamber barely big enough for the seven of them to fit in. "What is this?"

Nokama peered over her friend's shoulder. "It seems to be an elevator." Her voice echoed off the metal walls.

"This is amazing." Nuju commented. "Let's go down."

"This is freaking insane!" Arin spat. "We're risking life and limb for something that may or may not exist, and-"

"Oh, get in the damn elevator!" Exasperated, Vakama shoved his companion into the elevator after the others had climbed in. Matau manipulated the simple controls, and in the dark, the group could feel themselves moving downward. It was nothing short of eerie, nobody dared to talk. All anyone could hear was heavy breathing made louder by the echoing metal walls.

"Who am I pressing against?" Nokama whispered, slightly uncomfortable.

Arin didn't want to divulge that he was the one Nokama was so close to. He could feel the warmth of her body, and her wavy blue hair tickled and smelled like orchids. The rest of her smelled natural, a mixture of sweat, dirt, and her deodorant. He was being pressed against the wall and noted that Nokama's body was curvier than the loose clothes she wore let on.

"It's dark in here... Whose hand am I holding?"

"Uh, me..." Matau replied shakily.

"Okay."

Arin could feel Nokama shift as she squeezed Matau's hand. A surge of jealousy ran through him, he felt like giving the green-haired kid a nasty pinch. But he held back, knowing that if he started a fight in this enclosed space, there'd be hell to pay.

The elevator ride couldn't have ended soon enough. The passengers felt the elevator jolt and screech to a halt, and the doors hissed open. Light was the first thing that greeted their eyes. The seven seemed to be in a large arena, with floors that appeared to be made of hexagonal pillars capable of rising and falling.

"This is the Akilini arena." Whenua said. "A sports arena."

"Cool..." Nokama breathed. Arin looked around in disbelief. Metru Nui really existed!

"Let's go to Ga-Metru." Onewa said. "We need to wake up Edessa. She's supposed to be in the Great Temple."

"Yes, he's right." Nuju added. "We'll need a guide, and that book isn't enough." He motioned to Whenua's backpack. "Speaking of, Whenua, which way is Ga-Metru?"

Whenua opened his backpack and pulled out the book, opening it to a map of Metru Nui. "It's to the northeast. Let's go." He led the others towards the north exit of the Coliseum.

XxX

Tyorin would oversee their journey and make sure nothing happened to them. Any rogue Rahi loose in the city would be discouraged from attacking the group by his butterflies' poison, unbeknownst to the travelers.

Eventually, they arrived at the Ga-Metru Great Temple. Or rather, where it should have been. Whenua looked between the open landscape and his map in disbelief.

"It should be here!" He cried. "What the heck?"

"Maybe it got destroyed..." Onewa said solemnly. "I mean, a lot can happen in thousands of years..."

"That's terrible!"

Nuju stood to the side, away from Whenua and Onewa's quarreling. He saw a walkway and went to inspect.

_The walkway appears to have been broken. _He observed. _The temple must have been sunk, long before the sea was filled in. There's no question what could have happened to Edessa, she may have drowned._

"Guys, the temple must be buried underground." Nuju relayed his thoughts to the others, halting Onewa from snapping at Whenua for being so whiny. "There's almost no question what may have happened to Edessa."

The group fell silent. If the temple was underground, there's no questioning what could have happened to its structure, or its occupant.

"That's it, quest over. Let's go home." Arin voice broke the stillness.

"Maybe not," Vakama piped up. He was standing near a large sewer entrance which led underwater. "Each building has to have some connection to a sewer, and apparently this one is no exception." He opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder. Everyone followed.

They climbed down and down until the pressure was so great that they thought they would all get headaches, trudging around in that knee-deep dirty water. Things were crawling around in the pipes with them, but none wanted to know what they were. The air was rank, barely breathable. When Arin pointed to another ladder leading up, everyone released tension they hadn't realized they were holding.

The large chamber they emerged in did have breathable, if not stale, air. The temple was well-built, its walls kept the earth above from sinking in and burying their target.

"It's amazing..." Whispered Onewa. He recognized the corner of the room where Aiyetoro had sealed Edessa away in stasis, and sure enough, there was Edessa, trapped in suspended animation within the glass tube. "Look, guys. It's Edessa."

"What do we do?" Asked Nuju. He peered through the glass. It was definitely creepy, Edessa's eyes were open, but they stared straight ahead, and her heartlight pulsed dimly and slowly.

"Arin! No!"

Arin went up and smashed the glass around Edessa to shards. The rush of air woke her up, and those scary, lifeless eyes blinked, taking in their surroundings.

"Aiyetoro...?" She mumbled, sitting up amongst the fragments. Noting the presence of others in the room, she smiled.

"Hi, I'm Edessa. I know who you all are."


	14. Chapter 13: Final Quest

_AN: WILD CHAPTER APPEARED. ZOHMYGOODNESS.  
Yeah. High school times is busy times. Lots of weird stuff has been going on, like tests, concerts, and "holy crap I'm taking the Biology SATs in June WTF do I do."  
But yeah. I'm here to let y'all know that I'm not quite dead yet, teehee. Enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Chapter XIII - Final Quest**

Edessa looked as she did in the image in the book. She was stout, as all Matoran were, in hues of soft blues, and a sleek, helmetlike mask covered her face. Yellow eyes lit up behind two long slashes for eyeholes.

"Vakama." She touched Vakama's arm. "Nokama. Nuju. Matau. Onewa. Whenua." She touched each one on the arm respectively. "And Arin."

"How do you know who I am?" Arin asked.

"They didn't tell you?" Edessa looked surprised. "I'm an oracle. I predict the future. And usually, I'm right." She smiled. "Now let's get out of here."

Vakama led his comrades back up through the sewer and they emerged on dry land. Edessa drew in a breath and looked around.

"Ga-Metru... My home. It's been years..." Turning back to the humans, she asked, "I long to see Metru Nui restored to its former glory, and to do so, I have several requests. Can you oblige?"

"We will be honored." Nokama stepped up. Edessa got to one knee and bowed her head.

"My Queen." She said. "I need you to convince Great City that they are needed here. Destroy the earth cocoon that covers Metru Nui, take your place as the ruler of Metru Nui, and on a more personal note, find someone named Aiyetoro."

Whenua and Onewa recognized the name, and remembered witnessing the relationship this Aiyetoro had with Edessa.

"We'll do it." Nokama answered.

"Excellent!" Edessa cheered. "I will be waiting in Metru Nui, starting the rebuilding efforts. Also, when you convince your people to come back to Metru Nui, there's a mechanism I can throw that will open up a portal for them."

"I was right!" Matau exclaimed. "Are there larger elevators or something?"

"...Not necessarily. It's something I built... But I'm not sure how well it'll work." Edessa replied, biting her lip. "Now go! Metru Nui needs you!" She ushered them on, waving her arms. "I'll see you all soon!"

_And you, Aiyetoro..._ She added mentally.

Back on the surface, Great City's mayor fiddled with the main control of the telescreens posted around Great City. He sent out signals to broadcast the image of the seven teenagers going down, meeting with Edessa, and coming back out of the War Memorial, and had been narrating for most of the trip.

"Do you see what I mean?" His booming voice rang through the air from the speaker system. "These kids are risking everything for their destiny, and have proven something not even the brightest of Great City's scientists and archaeologists know. Listen to them. Move down to Metru Nui and rebuild it. Take your businesses, your families, your schools, everything. Continue your lives, and I will take care of the rest." He smiled, a sincere smile. After all, for what reason did the citizens have to _not_ trust their mayor?

Meanwhile, Nokama had emerged from the elevator and was pointing up at the large screen near City Hall. "Look! It's the Mayor!"

"That, and look at all those people coming down to go to Metru Nui!" Nuju pointed to crowds that were massing up by the soccer field. Many people and vehicles were beginning to arrive, as coaxed by the Mayor.

"Edessa had better open that portal soon," Onewa said. "There's a lot that's gonna have to go through to Metru Nui."

Every being present could feel the apprehension in the air as people waited around for a safe way to enter Metru Nui in masses. Matau walked up to the Mayor to thank him for his help in completing their first request.

"Hey, Mr. Leswig," Matau greeted. "Thanks for..."

He stopped short. Mayor Leswig's face, as he turned to face Matau, morphed to resemble Tyorin's face, if only for a split second, before turning back into the face of Great City's beloved mayor.

"...Tyorin?"

"Makuta can shapeshift, remember?" Tyorin/Leswig winked. "Just be glad I'm taking all the trouble to do this for you."

"Where's the real Mayor Leswig?"

"Do you really want to know?" Tyorin/Leswig said, a crooked grin lighting up his face.

Matau gasped. "You killed him?"

"More or less. Run along, I think Edessa is about to open the portal." Tyorin/Leswig said as the ground began to shake. Matau watched as a large spiraling vortex opened in the middle of the soccer field.

"Come quickly!" A female voice shouted from the midst of the chaos. A bold citizen stepped down into the portal, and simply walked down, as if walking down a ramp. Others followed suit, trucks seeming to drive down the ramp as people walked alongside.

"Matau, we need to go!" Nokama appeared through the crowd, grabbing her friend's wrist and heading for the elevator.

XxX

Nokama, Matau, Vakama, Nuju, Onewa, Whenua, and Arin stood on the moving balcony formerly known as Turaga Dume's box. Beneath them, they could see people and vehicles coming down invisible ramps which seemed to come from the sky. The people of Metru Nui were returning home at last.

"Your majesty! Your majestyyy!" Among the crowd, a small blue figure jumped up and down, flailing her arms for attention.

"Onewa, move the box down." Nokama directed. She then turned her attention to the figure as Onewa manned the controls to maneuver the box. "Edessa, what is it?"

"I jammed the lever and I can keep the portal open until the cocoon over Metru Nui is destroyed!" Edessa cheered. "The people can relocate, and you can finally take up your place as queen! Naturally, you'd be staying in the Coliseum..." Edessa paced around the box, mumbling to herself. "We need to hold the coronation of you and your court!"

"That sound excellent, when do we start?"

Edessa broke into a grin. "Everything starts immediately."

_To be continued, yo._


	15. Chapter 14: Controlled Chaos

**WHOA HOLY COWS AN UPDATE. WHAAAAT.  
I feel like sophomore year totally hates me. o3o That, and chemistry. Nooo, but Chemistry, I love youuuu.  
Anyway it's been millions of years, but enjoy. 3  
**

* * *

**Chapter XIV - Controlled Chaos**

Nokama's head was spinning. It had barely been 3 days after the population of Great City had relocated to Metru Nui and begun reconstruction efforts. Her coronation was to take place tomorrow night, right before the destruction of the enchanted earth cocoon over Metru Nui, and Tyorin, in disguise, had agreed to take care of that.

She sat in the Coliseum's study, planning reconstruction efforts and other things such as connecting roads which once led to Great City from other places, and maybe excavating Metru Nui a little more. Whenua had told here there was once a vast silver sea surrounding Metru Nui. Nokama looked out over the horizon; there was nothing but solid ground. 

_The silver sea must have evaporated or something..._ Thought Nokama. Her musings were interrupted by the entrance of another. Nokama spun around in her chair. "Who is it?"

"Hi, Nokama."

"Oh, hello, Arin."

"What are you doing?" Arin asked.

"Work. Lots and lots of work." Nokama plunked her elbows on her desk. "Nuju says it's temporary 'cause of the stupid big relocation and I need to sort out pretty much everything."

"Well, why ain't they helping you?"

"They are." Nokama replied. "Onewa's discussing building plans with his parents and the highway department as we speak."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It's tough work for all of us." Nokama gathered her notes, which were scattered around her desk, into one messy pile. "I think I should take a break, what say you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, everyone's busy and I need a breather." She started out of the room. "Coronation practice doesn't start 'till seven. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Arin and Nokama strode down the streets of Ga-Metru. The suns shone in the sky, and the clouds sailing by were wispy cirrus clouds, breezing along without a care in the world, unlike Nokama. She had a directive, even during this "breather" she was taking.

"I need to find Edessa, then we're gonna go to Onu-Metru."

"You mean that robot chick?"

"She's _not_ a robot, Arin. Learn the difference." Nokama snapped.

They found Edessa sitting on a low wall watching people scurry around, working to rebuild Ga-Metru. She jumped down to greet Nokama and Arin. "Hello, your Majesty."

"Edessa, you don't have to call me that." Nokama said, smiling.

"It's hard to resist formal speech," Edessa laughed. "Even though, long ago, everyone always addressed you as 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness'..." Her eyes glazed over, as if reminiscing over an old memory. "You once made an announcement about it, too. It was hilarious."

Nokama stiffened. As much as she would have liked to partake in Edessa's trip down memory lane, she had no recollection of the events she was describing, and it was slightly unnerving to be referred as "you" instead of "The Queen" whenever Edessa talked about them. It was like she had amnesia and had missed out on her childhood. "Sounds funny," She said, mustering a grin. She turned, looking out over the construction. "So, Edessa. We moved the people, we're planning my coronation... Wasn't there another quest you wanted fulfilled?"

"Oh, yes. Aiyetoro!" Edessa exclaimed. "We need to find him!"

"Do you remember anything about him? Like, where he was from?"

"He was an Onu-Matoran Archivist." Edessa said. "He could be in Onu-Metru..." "Let's try there first."

Edessa, Arin, and Nokama reached the bustling heart of Onu-Metru quickly through the barely functioning chute system. They stood amidst the crowd, panting.

"Let's... Not... Do that... Again." Nokama wheezed, visibly shaken. "What the heck is wrong with Metru Nui's transport systems?" Edessa shrugged, grinning.

"You get used to it."

"First rule of order... Switch to buses." Nokama let out another cough and leaned on Arin for support. Edessa laughed and pat Nokama on the arm.

"Let's go find Aiyetoro."

As they walked, Nokama continued to use Arin as a crutch to get over the shock of Metru Nui's chute system. She was still breathing hard, and she could feel her head spin, making walking straight hard.

"Arin, do you mind?" She asked shakily.

"Huh? No..." Arin replied in the same shaky tone.

"Thanks." Sighed Nokama.

Arin stared straight ahead and continued walking, Nokama's arm draped over his shoulder. He glanced to the left, where Edessa was gazing in wonder at the bustling district, busy with relocation business, and to the right, where Nokama trudged alongside him, breathing hard and looking slightly pale. Gently, he slipped an arm around her shoulder and smiled.

"Where the crap is Nokama?" Vakama yelled as he tore through the Coliseum. Following after him was Onewa, opening and slamming shut doors.

"She's not in here!" Onewa yelled as he threw another door back into its frame. "Her coronation's tomorrow and the practice is in half an hour! Didn't anyone care to tell her?"

"Screw telling her, she's the queen, she should know the time and date already!" Vakama fumed. "Where'd she run off to?" He sprinted off in the direction of Nokama's personal office. _She's gotta be there. She was when we last checked..._ He reached the office and threw open the metal door. "Nokama! You have coronation rehearsal at seven today! ...Uh?"

The office was empty. Nokama's desk had papers scattered all over it as if she had been working there, and the chair had been pushed back.

"Found her?" Onewa called from down the hall.

"No! She's really gone!" Vakama answered. "Everyone else is in the arena waiting!" He tugged nervously at the tie he wore. Glancing outside the window, he could see Nuju, Matau, Whenua, Tyorin, and several other people standing impatiently at the center of the arena.

"Where are Arin and Edessa? They're both important in this, too..."

"I think they left with her!" Vakama called back.

"Where could they have gone?"

"I dunno!"

"We have to start without her!"

"We can't!"

"Onewa, we have to. Everyone's already here and there's no way we can postpone it!"

"All right! Let's have Whenua stand in as her. He already knows what to do for the actual ceremony!"

Vakama and Onewa raced back down to the arena, preparing to deliver the disappointing news.

Meanwhile, Edessa, Nokama, and Arin wandered through the streets of Onu-Metru, seemingly aimlessly. At least, that's how it felt to Nokama.

"Edessa, do you have any clue where we're going? My feet hurt..." She whined. "Also, do you know what Aiyetoro looks like?"

"Yes!" Edessa retorted. "I saw it in a vision. He's got dark skin, focused eyes, a broad nose, and he's got black hair down to his chin."

"Can we resume this search later, though? It'll take forever to search all of Onu-Metru!" Arin snapped.

"We have to attend the coronation practice!" Added Nokama. "Coronation practice...?" Arin glanced at his wristwatch. "Crap, that's in fifteen minutes! We need to get back!" He grabbed Nokama and Edessa by the wrists and ran off in the direction they came from. They boarded the chutes heading towards the coliseum, and sprinting as fast as they could, burst into the Coliseum arena.

"Are we late?" Panted Nokama.

"No, really?" Onewa drawled sarcastically. "It's 8:15. You so totally aren't late."

"The practice was supposed to be at seven, Nokama." Added Nuju. "I'd expect our queen to know this."

"I'm sorry..." Nokama whispered. "I lost track of time..."

"Well, we finished the practice with Whenua as your stand-in." Said Vakama. "Seriously, all three of you, you should grow some responsibility! Nokama, you're a _queen_. Responsibility is a must!"

"Hey, I'm responsible!" Nokama snapped.

"Let me finish! You ran off to Onu-Metru without telling any of us! Sneaking off is abandoning your duties!" Roared Vakama.

"Well, sorry for helping out the citizens, like a good queen should!" Nokama yelled back. Her orange eyes flared and met with Vakama's green ones, and everyone in the arena cowered from the tension. "Vakama, you're not my dad or whatever! I haven't even known you for that long, what gives you the right to boss me around?"

Vakama stiffened at this retort and turned away. "You know what? Forget it. Mess up on your coronation tomorrow, see if I care." He strode out of the arena and into the Coliseum.

"I already know what to do! How am I going to mess up?" Nokama yelled at his receding back as the others followed Vakama out of the arena. Only Arin remained with Nokama. "Damn... It was an honest mistake... What gives him the right to yell at me?"

Arin was silent. He didn't want to contradict his best friend, but at the same time, he wanted to support Nokama.

"We didn't even find Aiyetoro." She said softly. Arin nodded and put an arm around Nokama.

"There's something I kinda want to tell you." He said finally.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I really like you, Nokama."


End file.
